Dao Sect

Biodata

Power Progression

The sect has no single cultivation realm. Its documented strength increases concern individual members and collective mission rewards.

Background / History

The Fictitious Hidden Sect

Xiao Yan first invokes the Dao Sect while purchasing fire-attribute supplies from the Mittel Auction House under the identity of Lin Dong. Gu Ni knows of no such faction in the Jia Ma Empire, while Ya Fei interprets Xiao Yan’s youth and apparent Dou Wang strength as evidence of an exceptional outside power 15.

Xiao Yan develops this cover into a supposedly secluded sect that admits no outsiders. To deflect Mittel Tengshan’s questions, he invents an injured elder and a powerful traitor whose pursuit brought him to the empire. He also presents Han Tianzun as the sect master and later claims that Li Feiyu, a Dou Emperor-level figure, is merely an outer sect elder 22 23 25 41.

The sect’s reputation grows through staged displays. Xiao Yan sends more than a thousand Shadow Clones toward the Amethyst Winged Lion King, allowing witnesses to mistake them for a vast force of Dou Wangs and Dou Emperors. He deliberately lets Mu She and the Wolf Head Mercenary Group witness the spectacle so that they will publicize the Dao Sect and draw future Otherworlders’ attention away from Xiao Yan himself 47 48.

Acquiring Real Subordinates

The He Family becomes a subordinate faction after Xiao Yan checks its members for Otherworlders. At this point, the narration explicitly describes the Dao Sect as a front without real substance; acquiring the family gives that invented organization a genuine following 79.

Queen Medusa subsequently negotiates the Snake-People Tribe’s submission. Xiao Yan allows the tribe to retain control over its internal affairs, on the condition that she publicize its connection to the Dao Sect 104.

Formal Establishment and Expansion

Xiao Yan formally renames the Desert Iron Mercenary Group the Dao Sect, establishes its hierarchy, and becomes Sect Master Han Tianzun. Mandatory aliases for senior members are introduced as a precaution against Otherworlders who might enter during rapid recruitment 116.

Expansion proceeds through local subordinate forces. The He Family and Shadow Clone Ye Fan bring Black Rock City’s factions under the sect, while Hai Bodong helps consolidate the Mo Family’s holdings in Salt City 119 121.

After killing Yun Shan and dismantling the Flame-Slaying Alliance, Xiao Yan recruits the Jia Ma Empire’s major powers. Publicly, he presents the conflict as a misunderstanding resolved through Dao Sect mediation—even claiming reconciliation with Yun Shan, despite having already killed him 138 139.

Within roughly half a month, Dao Sect banners appear throughout the empire. Completion of the expansion mission grants collective cultivation rewards. Xiao Yan then begins merging ten systems, suspending the sect’s system functions while he leaves for Jia Nan Academy 142.

Organization and Membership

Rank Structure

• Alias requirement: Members ranked elder or above must use titles rather than their real names 116.
• Information privacy: Members may hide or display personal information; the sect master and deputy sect masters can inspect hidden information 116.
• Promotion: Xiao Yan can change ranks through the sect panel and announce promotions to all members, as demonstrated with Ling Ying 128.

Identities and Associated Members

• Lin Dong — Xiao Yan’s first Dao Sect disguise; a Shadow Clone also maintains this identity while teaching Xiao Mei 15 35 52.
• Li Feiyu — Used by Xiao Yan and his Shadow Clones as a sect elder, recruiter, and public representative 41 58 79 139.
• Chen Beixuan — Xiao Yan’s inner sect elder identity, used against Gu He and to infiltrate the Flame-Slaying Alliance 97 123.
• Ye Fan — A Shadow Clone identity used in the Lion King confrontation and Black Rock City operations; Xiao Yan also personally adopts it 48 79 124.
• Hai Bodong — A deputy leader of the predecessor mercenary group who later oversees Dao Sect interests in Salt City 93 119 121.
• Medicine Emperor — Xiao Yan’s teacher; Xiao Yan identifies him to sect members after his arrival nearly results in Ling Ying’s death 133.
• Xiao Lin — Recruited after the battle with Yun Shan; Xiao Yan plunders his Invincible Dad System 138.

Abilities & Infrastructure

System Administration

The sect operates through system-managed panels and communications.

• Member records: The predecessor group’s profiles display position, cultivation, physique, and loyalty 93.
• Internal messaging: Xiao Yan coordinates expansion with Xiao Ding and Xiao Li through the system’s chat function 121.
• Announcements: Rank changes, warnings, and service notices can be broadcast to the membership 128 133 142.
• Appraisal protection: Enrolling Xiao Yan’s puppet places it under system protection, preventing Xingyu’s appraisal system from detecting its nature 124.
• Service suspension: Sect functions are suspended during the system upgrade; the system later announces that all functions have resumed 142 166.

Shared Cultivation Rewards

• Expansion rewards: The Jia Ma Empire mission directly raises members’ cultivation upon completion 142.
• Leadership multipliers: Deputy leaders are promised five times an ordinary member’s reward, while the leader receives ten times as much 116.
• Direct empowerment: Xiao Yan can grant plundered Dou Qi to recruits, though the resulting cultivation is unstable 139.
• Resource distribution: The Dao Sect channels substantial amounts of Origin Qi to the Xiao Clan 203.

Disguises and Reputation Warfare

• Manufactured manpower: Shadow Clones create the appearance of an enormous reserve of high-level cultivators 47 48.
• Separate public identities: Xiao Yan and a Lin Dong figure appear simultaneously, convincing Jia Lie Ao that they are different people 35.
• Cover for operations: Xiao Yan conducts the attack on Jia Lie Ao in the Dao Sect’s name to avoid implicating the Mittel Family 36.
• Limits: The Amethyst Winged Lion King destroys nearly all the attacking clones and recognizes that they are Shadow Clones rather than an independent army 49.

Subordinate Forces and External Relationships

• He Family — Submits under He Kun and helps establish Dao Sect control in Black Rock City 79 121.
• Snake-People Tribe — Joins as a subordinate force while retaining internal autonomy 104.
• Mo Family — Placed under Dao Sect supervision after Mo Cheng’s death; Hai Bodong helps secure its Salt City holdings 119 121.
• Mittel Family — Initially seeks a commercial partnership, then formally joins; Mittel Tengshan receives an immediate cultivation increase 23 139.
• Mu Family — Declares its willingness to join after witnessing Tengshan’s breakthrough 139.
• Jia Ma Imperial Family — Submits to the sect; Jia Xingtian asks that Chief Steward Meng’s response be treated separately from the imperial family’s decision 142.
• Yun Yun — Initially fears the sect’s apparent military strength and later joins it 48 97 142.
• Flame-Slaying Alliance — Infiltrated through Chen Beixuan and ultimately dismantled by Xiao Yan 123 138.
• Xiao Clan — Receives Origin Qi through the sect, contributing to its rise within the Jia Ma Empire 203.

Namesake and Mistaken Identification

• Otherworldly namesake: Ling Ying recognizes the Dao Sect as one of the Eight Great Super Sects of the Eastern Profound Domain in the Heavenly Profound Great Realm. This is distinct from Xiao Yan’s initially fictitious organization 27 79.
• Misapplied reputation: Ling Ying describes Lin Dong as the namesake sect’s foremost young member and reports that its experts rival Dou Shengs, causing Xiao Xun’er to suspect a threat to the Xiao Clan’s Ancient Jade 28.
• Further confusion: The Azure Emperor connects the Dao Sect name and Great Desolate Imprisoning Heaven Finger to Martial Universe, while Mittel Tengshan notices that a storyteller’s account of Lin Dong joining the Dao Sect resembles the identity he previously encountered 102 123.