Laozi

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Laozi and the other Three Pure Ones originated from Pangu’s Primordial Spirit. As Hongjun’s eldest disciple, Laozi held seniority within the Profound Gate and stood at the head of its Six Sages 120 1211.

His Human Sect arose when he attained Sagehood and transmitted the Golden Elixir Great Dao to humanity. Despite owing his attainment to humanity’s recognition, he subsequently remained aloof from human calamities. Humans nevertheless continued worshipping the Human Sect as their sacred teaching until his opposition to Mount Shu exposed the conflict between his interests and their development 150 183.

Appearance

• Hair and beard: White 1124.
• Face: Described as flawless as polished jade, with a dignified expression 1124.
• Clothing: Wears an Eight Trigrams Daoist robe 841.
• Aura: Supreme-purity qi circulates around him; his composed expression is repeatedly likened to the stillness of an ancient well 824 1124.

Personality

Laozi cultivates nonaction and normally presents a detached, gentle exterior. He can suppress anger almost immediately when doing so serves his plans: after Tongtian checked his coercion against the Interception Sect disciples, he replaced his fury with a smile, apologized for Xuandu, and resumed pursuing the Human Emperor position 112 368.

His dealings with humanity prioritize sect fortune and authority. When asking Nuwa to give Xuandu the Three Human Sacred Artifacts, he discussed controlling humanity’s fortune without considering whether Xuandu’s enthronement would benefit humans. Zhao Gongming likewise regarded his later gift of rare fruits as a transaction rather than genuine reconciliation 119 217.

Laozi is more cautious than Yuanshi about unfavorable battles. He recognizes Tongtian’s superior offensive power, withdraws when stronger opponents intervene, and eventually removes Yuanshi’s party from a confrontation rather than supporting another attack 186 221 596 597.

Repeated defeats erode his composure. His regret over opposing Gu Changqing becomes especially severe when he realizes that supporting humanity might have earned him a share of the Human Dao. That realization does not end his hostility; he later accepts stealing human fortune as a means of restoring his position 601 887 888.

Abilities & Skills

Heavenly Dao Sagehood

• Heavenly Dao connection: His Primordial Spirit rests within the Heavenly Dao’s void. The stated principle is that Heavenly Dao Sages remain indestructible while the Heavenly Dao endures 145.
• Sage pressure: Can terrify ordinary cultivators and disturb an entire immortal island through the release of his might 123 219.
• Regeneration: Reconstitutes his body after Gu Changqing’s sword pierces him and Yuanshi 703.
• Limit: Bodily recovery does not prevent damage to his Origin Dao Foundation. Gu Changqing’s Saint-Slaying Method leaves a hidden injury that may make further advancement impossible 714.

One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones

A supreme clone technique created by Laozi 291.

• Produces three manifestations identical to his true body in appearance, build, and clothing 291.
• Their strength is described as 70–80% of his true body’s strength during the Human Sect’s destruction, but as 50–60% in a later comparison 291 958.
• The manifestations do not possess independent Sage status 965.
• Gu Changqing’s nine heavenly-punishment figures destroy all three during their attack on the Human Sect 291.

Dao of Alchemy

Alchemy is Laozi’s principal specialty among the Three Pure Ones 186 701.

• Eight-Turn Purple Gold Immortal Elixirs: Each is stated to raise cultivation by an entire major realm; Laozi supplies them to support the Demon Court’s princes 299.
• Top-grade Immortal Elixirs: Enable Xuandu, Guangchengzi, Chijingzi, Yu Ding Zhenren, and other disciples to advance rapidly into the Quasi-Saint realm 395.
• Recruitment: Uses promises of supreme-grade elixirs to attract cultivators, but the campaign draws mostly weak recruits and fares worse than Gu Changqing’s wine 395.

Divine Perception and Heavenly Divination

• Recognizes that Gu Changqing’s earlier drunken stupors conceal deliberate actions rather than genuine intoxication 111.
• Identifies Ao Cunxin’s True Dragon bloodline, though Yuanshi supplies her specific identity as the East Sea Dragon Clan’s princess 220 222.
• Uses Great Dao Transmission to project speech across Golden Ao Island and throughout the wider heavens 111 368.
• Undertakes secluded divination of heaven’s secrets after repeated sect defeats 407 414.

Heavenly Dao Restraints and Nonaction

• Forms mudra seals that draw upon Heavenly Dao restraints to suppress the Dragon Race and force its submission 437.
• Manifests his Dao of nonaction as an encompassing net that steadily wears away Nuwa and Houtu’s saint power 937.
• Remains constrained by Heavenly Dao authority and regards obedience to Hongjun’s decree as obligatory 368.

Fortune Manipulation

• Proposes using the Taiji Diagram to suppress and seize the Witch and Demon Clans’ fortune after their mutual destruction 340.
• Offers the Human Sect’s own fortune to bolster the Demon Race under Hongjun’s orders 368.
• Uses the Human Sect Stele’s dormant karmic connection to humanity as a bridge through the Human Dao barrier 889.
• With Yuanshi’s assistance, opens a minute crack and draws wisps of human fortune into the stele rather than confronting the barrier directly 889.

Artifact Attainments

Although less devoted to artifact arts than Yuanshi, Laozi possesses substantial expertise 1211.

• Uses his former connection to the Taiji Diagram to momentarily halt the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe’s aura after it has been reforged 744.
• Recognizes the Great Artifact-Command Art as a power beyond ordinary Artifact Dao fluctuations 1211.
• Suspects that Gu Changqing’s mastery of the Artifact-Wielding Dao makes the apparent loss of the axe deliberate rather than unavoidable 1211.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Taiji Diagram — One of the three Heaven-Opening Supreme Treasures. Laozi uses it to assist the Demon Race, proposes employing it to seize fortune, and later carries Yuanshi and his disciples away with it. Gu Changqing cracks it with a sword strike and eventually takes it from him 183 185 340 597 701.
• Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda of Heaven and Earth — A defensive Merit Supreme Treasure that releases merit light to shield Laozi. It is among the treasures Gu Changqing demands after defeating the Four Saints 616 683.
• Heaven-Shaking Coffin — A Heavenly Dao baleful treasure entrusted to Laozi by Hongjun. Formed from the resentment of the Demon Gods of the Three Thousand Great Daos, it combines an exceptionally durable exterior with immense sealing power. Laozi claims its victim will be sealed forever after forty-nine days; he uses it against Gu Changqing and later tries to reclaim it 506 532 540 712.
• Human Sect Stele — Preserves a dormant origin power and karmic connection to humanity. Laozi awakens it with sage blood and Yuanshi’s power to siphon human fortune 888 889.
• Yellow Central Plum fruits — Two fruits from one of the ten supreme Innate Spirit Roots, presented to Gu Changqing as brewing ingredients during an attempted reconciliation. Laozi subsequently demands them back, but Gu Changqing refuses 216 217 219.
• Immortal Elixirs — Personally refined cultivation aids distributed to allied disciples, prospective recruits, and the Demon Court 299 395.

Relationships

• Hongjun — Master and principal authority. Laozi repeatedly seeks his intervention against Gu Changqing, receives the Heaven-Shaking Coffin from him, and attends his Dao sermons 130 506 601 832.
• Yuanshi — Second brother and closest recurring ally. They coordinate sect competitions, Human Emperor schemes, attacks, defensive formations, and the theft of human fortune; Laozi also restrains Yuanshi when continued confrontation becomes too dangerous 396 521 597 825 889.
• Tongtian — Third brother, initially treated with outward familial courtesy. His protection of Gu Changqing repeatedly blocks Laozi’s plans. After the attempt to destroy Tongtian’s Sage cultivation, their brotherhood becomes an irreconcilable blood feud 112 185 216 702 712.
• Xuandu — His only personal disciple at the time of the early Human Emperor scheme. Laozi seeks opportunities and fortune for him, but rebukes his impatience and inability to withstand setbacks 98 117 301 407.
• Gu Changqing — Martial nephew and central adversary. Laozi initially hopes to use his achievements to improve Xuandu, then repeatedly tries to curb his prestige, suppress his cultivation, or kill him 98 130 531 636.
• Nuwa — Fellow disciple of Hongjun and rival over humanity’s future. She refuses his attempt to control her sacred artifacts, repeatedly attacks him, and eventually grows powerful enough to dismiss him as unworthy of a fight 119 122 528 609.
• Houtu — Opposing Sage associated with the Earth Dao. She threatens Laozi and Yuanshi over Gu Changqing’s confinement and helps confront their faction 533 601 937.
• Jieyin and Zhunti — Allies in the Four Saints coalition. Laozi encourages circumstances that will deepen their hatred of Gu Changqing and later protects Jieyin at Kunlun 301 636 825.
• Ji Ren — Human rival whose Mount Shu lineage and eventual Sage attainment undermine the Human Sect’s authority. Laozi attempts to stop both the sect’s founding and Ji Ren’s breakthrough 150 901.
• Eight Immortals of Shangdong — Disciples selected from humanity as a means of regaining human fortune. Several die during confrontations with Gu Changqing 319.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Attempts to Enthrone Xuandu

After witnessing Gu Changqing survive Chaos Divine Thunder, Laozi advises Xuandu to learn from him and hopes to use their shared human origin to accelerate his disciple’s cultivation 98.

He later tries to enlist Gu Changqing’s human prestige to enthrone Xuandu. When Gu Changqing ignores his summons, Tongtian checks Laozi’s coercion; a subsequent visit to the cave meets a spatial barrier declaring that those with impure minds cannot enter 111 112.

Laozi then asks Nuwa to give Xuandu the Empress Wa Sword, Zither, and Flute as vessels for humanity’s fortune. Gu Changqing disrupts the negotiation and reveals the Kongtong Seal, the symbol of the Human Emperor. After leaving without the artifacts, Laozi asks Hongjun to strip Gu Changqing’s Great Luo Dao Fruit 119 120 122 130.

Opposition to Mount Shu and Support for the Demon Race

Laozi opposes Ji Ren’s founding of the Mount Shu Sword Sect, warning of karma and heavenly punishment. Gu Changqing exposes his long neglect of humanity, prompting humans to question their worship of the Human Sect, while Tongtian publicly blesses Ji Ren’s new lineage 150 151 152.

Laozi subsequently assists the Demon Race with the Taiji Diagram. Gu Changqing cracks the treasure despite being only at the Great Luo peak, and the combined deterrence of Tongtian and Nuwa prevents Laozi from continuing his attack 183 185 186.

An attempted reconciliation through two Yellow Central Plum fruits also fails: Gu Changqing keeps the gift while refusing Laozi’s demand for its return. Laozi and Yuanshi then turn their attention to Ao Cunxin and the possibility of bringing the three ancient clans back into the world 216 219 222.

Sect Devastation and Escalating Alliances

Nine figures created from heavenly-punishment power devastate the Human Sect’s grounds and shatter the Eight Scenic Palace. Laozi’s three clones cannot stop them, and Tongtian refuses to neutralize Gu Changqing’s technique 291.

Laozi answers further setbacks by strengthening allied disciples and the Demon Court with elixirs. He also helps cultivate Jieyin and Zhunti’s hostility toward Gu Changqing, laying the groundwork for their alliance 299 301.

Under Hongjun’s decree, Laozi sacrifices Human Sect fortune to bolster the Demon Race. Later recruitment and a new Three Teachings competition fail to restore his sect’s prestige. His effort to force the Dragon Race into submission likewise collapses when Gu Changqing breaks the Heavenly Dao shackles 368 395 396 407 437 438.

The Heaven-Shaking Coffin

Laozi and Yuanshi renew their Human Emperor schemes, then attempt to eliminate Gu Changqing with the Heaven-Shaking Coffin. Laozi accepts the risk of public condemnation and seals Gu Changqing, believing escape impossible without sufficient power to break out from within 521 531 532 540.

Tongtian wounds both brothers and demands Gu Changqing’s release. Nuwa, Houtu, and the Eleven Ancestral Witches add threats against their sects and persons. Gu Changqing subsequently emerges, overturning Laozi’s confidence in the coffin 533 544.

Loss of the Human Sect and Supreme Treasures

Laozi withdraws Yuanshi’s party from another confrontation, then deduces that Gu Changqing intends to place the Human Dao under Nuwa’s control. He bitterly regrets that his hostility has cost him a possible share of its power 596 597 601.

After the Human Sect’s abolition, Laozi and his disciples settle at Kunlun. He nevertheless joins Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti in trying to prevent Gu Changqing from proving his Dao 634 636.

The Four Saints later fight over the World-Destroying Mill and refuse Gu Changqing’s demand for their battle treasures. Retreat to Kunlun does not resolve their predicament, and Laozi concludes that surrender is their only safe option. His loss of the Taiji Diagram subsequently leaves him substantially weakened against Tongtian 680 683 687 701.

Rupture with Tongtian and Hidden Injury

Laozi and Yuanshi attack Tongtian and his disciples on behalf of Heavenly Dao authority. They participate in an attempt to destroy Tongtian’s Sage cultivation using the Sage-Transforming Furnace, but Gu Changqing intervenes and pierces both brothers with one sword 700 702 703.

After Tongtian transforms his Dao Fruit, the remaining brotherly bond collapses. Laozi tries to snatch back the Heaven-Shaking Coffin rather than fight him directly, only to be gravely wounded by Gu Changqing’s wine attack 712.

The lingering Saint-Slaying Method damages Laozi’s Origin Dao Foundation. Yuanshi’s three lights divine water fails to heal it, and Hongjun’s examination confirms a Great Dao hidden injury beyond ordinary Heavenly Dao remedies 714.

Renewed Schemes Against Humanity

Laozi supports Hongjun’s plan to turn the Investiture of the Gods Measureless Calamity against the Interception Sect. He also shields Jieyin from Nuwa at Kunlun and later receives a sermon intended to uncover a possible counter to the Saint-Slaying Method 749 825 832.

At Yuanshi’s urging, he accepts stealing humanity’s fortune to revive the Human Sect. Their combined power awakens the Human Sect Stele and draws a trickle through the Human Dao barrier 887 888 889.

Ji Ren confronts them and begins attaining Sagehood through human fortune. Laozi attempts to interrupt the breakthrough, but fails to overturn it. With the Human Sect’s foundations destroyed, he again goes to Hongjun to demand action 892 901 903 904 905.

Later Confrontations and Lingering Suspicions

During the later calamity, Laozi helps wear down Nuwa and Houtu, but Gu Changqing’s restoration of the world threatens to erase his faction’s plans. Hongjun persuades him that the Elder of Chaos’s departure may eventually produce a stronger ally 937 944 956.

Laozi is subsequently shaken by powers beyond his own manifestations, including the emergence of Zhunti Buddha Mother. Yuanshi also tempers his optimism about the Elder of Chaos by pointing out that Chaos had only neutralized the opposing Sages’ attacks, never taken the offensive 958 965 1119.

In his latest provided appearance, Laozi suspects that Gu Changqing deliberately allowed the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe to be seized. Yuanshi offers a less alarming explanation, but Laozi remains uneasy about the discrepancy between Gu Changqing’s apparent helplessness and his mastery of the Artifact-Wielding Dao 1211.