Black Fiend

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Recruitment by Li Dao

Black Fiend originally guarded the Black Fiend Lotus in a cavern within the Heaven Mending Pavilion’s trial grounds. When Li Dao entered, he sensed lethal danger and bloodline suppression from the visitor, choosing not to attack. Li Dao claimed the lotus, offered him a chance to follow, and threw him out of the cavern before forcibly ripening the medicine 76.

Black Fiend subsequently carried Li Dao out of the mountains and became his mount. Li Dao named him Black Fiend, offering Black Ball as the alternative when the tiger appeared ready to protest. He then introduced him to Li Jiaojiao and Little Flower at his courtyard 77 79.

His departure had partly been an attempt to avoid punishment for losing the lotus. When his mother arrived looking for him, he rushed to meet her and was struck into a crater. She then attacked Li Dao, whom she recognized by her child’s scent. After Li Dao displayed his Dharma Form and eight linked cave heavens, Tiger Venerable departed; Black Fiend remained with Li Dao 80 81.

Hundred Broken Mountains

At Broken Void City, Little White Tiger of Xiling Beast Mountain condemned Black Fiend for serving as a human’s mount and ordered a follower to kill him. Li Dao intercepted the attack. Black Fiend later revealed that Little White Tiger’s bloodline had exerted a suppressive force on him 86 108.

During the Hundred Broken Mountains expedition, Black Fiend carried Li Dao into the underground site associated with Azure Immortal. He watched over Li Dao after he collapsed upon crossing its curtain of light, explained what had happened when he awoke, and led him deeper into the cavern 90 91 93.

Black Fiend also alerted Li Dao to an attack on Heaven Mending Pavilion disciples and joined Xiao Tian in attempting to defend Li Dao’s Divine Refining Furnace from approaching cultivators. After Little White Tiger’s death, Li Dao extracted its bloodline and fused it into Black Fiend, substantially improving his strength and potential 94 106 108 109 110.

He gathered treasure medicine around the Hundred Herb Garden, guarded Li Dao during his lakeside cultivation, and confronted hostile visitors by baring his teeth. When the exit opened, he carried Li Dao through the beast horde and continued toward the spatial passage despite the Divine Monkey King’s attack, which Li Dao halted with his time-related power 111 116 122 125 126.

Pavilion’s Fall and Northern Sea Journey

Black Fiend stood behind Li Dao alongside Little Flower and Li Jiaojiao when battle began at the Heaven Mending Pavilion. After its destruction, he traveled with Li Dao toward Golden Feather Village, accelerating when Li Dao sensed the village was under attack. He later accompanied Li Dao to Stone Village and Heavenly God Mountain 137 142 143 153 155.

During the Northern Sea expedition, Black Fiend guarded the cave where Li Dao and Qing Shu recovered, killing cultivators who approached despite warnings. After a two-year cultivation period, he reunited affectionately with Li Dao as a winged, mid-stage Spirit Transformation beast and carried him toward the Kunpeng Nest 161 174.

Appearance

• Original form: Entirely pitch-black, with pillar-like legs, a foxlike tail, and dark eyes whose childlike innocence contrasts with his imposing bearing 76.
• After bloodline fusion: Glossy, obsidian-black fur and golden Dao patterns around his eyes; additional golden patterns become visible across his body when he uses divine power 110.
• Variable size: Can appear as a small, fluffy tiger suitable for sitting on Li Dao’s shoulder, return to his normal mount form, or enlarge until he stands as tall as a mountain 110 111.
• Later form: Sleeker fur, a more imposing build, and black wings threaded with runes. His enlarged wings span approximately ten meters 174.

Personality

Black Fiend is cautious when faced with overwhelming strength. He refrains from attacking Li Dao after sensing mortal danger, and his mother’s arrival sends him into a panic over both the lost lotus and his new position as a mount. Nevertheless, he accepts the painful White Tiger bloodline fusion without hesitation or visible fear 76 80 109.

He becomes affectionate and protective toward Li Dao, rubbing against him, guarding his cultivation, and approaching threatening visitors with bared teeth. His attachment remains strong after their two-year separation, when he shrinks onto Li Dao’s shoulder and rubs against his neck 110 122 125 174.

His imposing appearance conceals a playful, food-loving side. He proudly asks whether his enlarged form looks handsome, eagerly seeks meat stew from Shi Hao, and drools over treasure medicine and spirit fruits. His repeated interest in Little Flower as something appetizing makes the bird deeply uncomfortable 110 111 128 155.

Abilities & Skills

Size Manipulation

A minor divine ability acquired through the White Tiger bloodline fusion 110.

• Shrinks into a small tiger that can rest in Li Dao’s arms or on his shoulder 111 174.
• Enlarges into a mountain-sized form, accompanied by glowing golden Dao patterns and sharply increased pressure 110.
• Consumes substantial divine power; his first demonstrated giant transformation is brief 110.

White Tiger Bloodline

Li Dao extracts the bloodline from Little White Tiger’s corpse and implants it into Black Fiend 108 109.

• Grants human speech and Size Manipulation during the initial fusion 110.
• Enables the opening of his eighth cave heaven 150.
• Improves his speed, gait, strength, and potential; he is later described as a minor prodigy among ferocious beasts 110 111 161.
• Initially causes severe pain and bleeding from every pore. Li Dao’s divine power suppresses the rampaging bloodline and allows the fusion to proceed 109.
• The fusion is still incomplete when Black Fiend first emerges from his cocoon 110.

Movement and Flight

• Provides a steady enough ride for Li Dao to cultivate while traveling 77 117 153.
• Can accelerate with wind seeming to skim beneath his paws 153.
• Traverses the sea swiftly, reaching Li Dao’s meeting place with Demoness in one day 169.
• Gains flight through his black wings. Li Dao observes a divine ability forming within their runes, but its specific nature is not yet established 174.

Communication and Sensing

• Communicates through divine sense before gaining human speech 80 85 93.
• Recognizes his mother’s presence from Li Dao’s courtyard 80.
• Detects danger and bloodline pressure, including Li Dao’s lethal threat and Little White Tiger’s bloodline superiority 76 108.

Cultivation and Guarding

• Absorbs moonlight gathered during Li Dao’s cultivation to strengthen himself 85 89.
• Refines energy from food and consumes treasure medicine and yin-yang-infused stones 111 116 169.
• Guards Li Dao during cultivation and recovery; after his bloodline enhancement, he can readily kill the approaching cultivators encountered on the Northern Sea island 122 161.

Relationships

• Li Dao — Master, rider, and principal companion. Names Black Fiend, supports his cultivation, fuses the White Tiger bloodline into him, and welcomes his growing potential 79 85 109 174.
• Tiger Venerable — Mother. Searches for him after his disappearance and punishes him before confronting Li Dao; ultimately departs without taking him away 80 81.
• Little Flower — Fellow beast companion and frequent target of his appetite. Black Fiend’s drooling and comments about the bird’s smell provoke angry warnings 79 128.
• Li Jiaojiao — Member of Li Dao’s household. Receives his warning that his mother has arrived and fetches Li Dao 79 80.
• Shi Hao — Traveling companion who admires his imposing appearance and gives him a portion of meat stew 83 111.
• Xiao Tian — Ally during the Hundred Broken Mountains expedition. Joins Black Fiend in defending Li Dao’s furnace and later recognizes his greatly increased strength 106 111.
• Little White Tiger — Enemy whose bloodline originally suppresses Black Fiend. After its death, its extracted bloodline becomes the source of Black Fiend’s major transformation 86 108 109.

Trivia

• “Black Ball” was a threatened alternative name, not the name Black Fiend adopted 79.
• “Black Tiger Daoist” refers to Li Dao, whose black tiger mount is a recognizable part of his appearance; it is not Black Fiend’s title 117 123.