Tong Gaolu

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Family disgrace and exile

Originally named Tong Dai, he was the second son born to a concubine of Tong Junjian, the Rong Kingdom’s Left Court Gentleman. Raised in an official household in Yuanjing, he lacked inheritance rights but initially lived comfortably 36.

Tong Junjian was later executed for offenses including corruption, factional collusion, murder, and leaking court secrets. The family’s property was confiscated, and its members were exiled to the border to fight the Cinnabar Millet Kingdom. Tong Gaolu became a groom whose master routinely whipped him 36.

The lost discipleship

According to Tu Shan Ge’s account, relayed from Tong Yi, Tong Gaolu gave muddy water to an old beggar who had collapsed in the heat. Upon waking, the beggar accused him of causing the fall and demanded compensation. Their confrontation ended with the beggar overpowering him; that night, Tong Gaolu unexpectedly attained Embryonic Breathing 36.

He immediately killed his abusive master, then raped and murdered the household’s women before searching for the beggar to request cultivation teachings. His conduct alienated the elder, who had initially intended to accept him as a disciple 36.

The beggar nevertheless offered another test, giving him silver to purchase poultry for a discipleship offering. Tong Gaolu instead spent it at a brothel, where the woman he embraced transformed into the beggar. The elder abandoned him, leaving a Heaven and Earth Bag containing tens of thousands of Talisman Coins and three mid-grade talisman artifacts. Chen Heng identified the elder as a senior of the Five Radiances Sect, but the sect never supported the Tong Household 36.

Military rise and political dominance

Thirteen years after his family’s downfall, Tong Gaolu led live-in sons-in-law, convicts, and slaves on a fifty-li night march against the Cinnabar Millet vanguard. He personally killed three enemy generals and recaptured Wild Goose Pass. After rallying scattered troops, he fought for another two years and drove the invaders back to the border 36.

His victories carried him into the center of government. Nearly half the kingdom’s powerful elite joined his faction, and his associates formed self-serving cliques. His control over military and civil affairs eventually exceeded the emperor’s ability to restrain him 36.

His ambitions to seize the throne grew after the Rong Clan’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor died. Despite this, he continued attending court and publicly maintained the appearance of a dutiful subject 46.

Appearance

Tong Gaolu looks much younger than his age: despite being over forty, he appears younger than his youngest brother, Tong Xiangyan. His body’s transcendent bearing partially conceals the cruelty and lust visible in his expression 47.

• Tall, imposing figure with an unusually youthful appearance.
• Lustrous, jade-like skin.
• High nose bridge and upward-sweeping brows.
• An outwardly graceful, almost immortal bearing 47.

Personality

Tong Gaolu combines violent cruelty with political restraint. His first response to gaining power was murderous revenge, and his inability to resist a brothel temptation cost him a prospective cultivation master. Later, he concealed his rebellion beneath observance of court etiquette 36 46.

He is cautious when facing credible danger. Before the grand court assembly, an unexplained pain in his heart nearly persuaded him to stay home. He ultimately dismissed it after Tong Xiangyan warned that absence would look like weakness and reassured him that Tong Jizhen remained safe 47.

His attachment to family is selective. He protected Tong Xiangyan during the ambush and ordered him to escape, but ignored the deaths of other followers. When Chen Heng threatened Tong Yi, he refused to sacrifice an arm, claiming he could father another son; nevertheless, he caught Tong Yi when the captive was thrown toward him 47 48.

Abilities & Skills

Tai Su Jade Body

Tong Gaolu’s greatest advantage is the bodily Dao Art contained in the Earth Palace Golden Chapter, later obtained by Chen Heng as Tai Su Jade Body. His mastery greatly exceeds the Mount Yang Daoist’s, making him far more dangerous than an ordinary seventh-layer Qi Refining cultivator 40 48 50.

• Exceptional durability: Chen Heng’s Thunderfire Thunderclap Bead and Green Bamboo Thorn could batter him but initially could not inflict fatal damage 48.
• Immense physical strength: His hammer strikes overwhelmed cultivators and forced both Chen Heng and Rong Tuo to evade rather than meet them directly 48.
• Survival after severe injury: He remained alive after the Blood-Red Flying Shuttle penetrated his skull, requiring an artifact explosion and repeated follow-up attacks to kill him 48.
• Possible danger warning: He experienced sudden heart pain before the ambush, though he doubted that his cultivation could truly foretell calamity 47.
• Limit: Cold Dipper True Qi entering his body froze his internal organs and temporarily immobilized him despite his tough exterior 48.

Qi Refining and Combat Techniques

At the seventh layer of Qi Refining, Tong Gaolu can manipulate embryonic breath, fly, and wield talisman artifacts 36 47 48.

• Shapes embryonic breath into a ribbon of light capable of decapitating dozens of soldiers 47.
• Uses flight light to pursue opponents and close into striking range 48.
• Produces a thunderous roar that disperses multiple incoming attacks and disrupts Huang Zaichen’s embryonic breathing 48.
• Throws his hammers as ranged attacks powerful enough to break through Rong Tuo’s wind technique 48.

Military Leadership

• Reclaimed Wild Goose Pass through a rapid night march and surprise attack 36.
• Rallied scattered troops and sustained a two-year campaign against the Cinnabar Millet invasion 36.
• Built a political faction encompassing military officers, civil officials, disciples, and former associates 36.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Purple-Gold Baleful-Breaking Hammers — Paired weapons used in melee and thrown attacks; one strike shattered Qian Qi’s defensive crimson clouds 48.
• Heaven and Earth Bag — Gift from the old beggar, originally containing tens of thousands of Talisman Coins and three mid-grade talisman artifacts 36.
• Earth Palace Golden Chapter — Golden page containing his bodily cultivation art. When he tried to recite its contents to others, the words emerged as an incoherent jumble 29 47.

Relationships

• Tong Junjian — Father; his execution and the confiscation of the family estate led to Tong Gaolu’s border exile 36.
• Tong Yi — Second son and an exceptionally promising child. Tong Gaolu intended to finance his entry into the Five Radiances Sect; Chen Heng later used him to deliver the freezing attack that enabled Tong Gaolu’s defeat 30 48.
• Tong Jizhen — Fourth brother, a third-layer Qi Refining cultivator skilled in strategy. Chen Heng killed him first and had Tu Shan Ge impersonate him, concealing his death from Tong Gaolu 36 40 47.
• Tong Feng — Brother reported to have attained Embryonic Breathing 36.
• Tong Xiangyan — Youngest brother and a trusted subordinate. Tong Gaolu protected him during the ambush and directed him to seek Tong Jizhen 47.
• Mount Yang Daoist — Sworn brother, ranked seventh after Tong Gaolu and his five brothers. Tong Gaolu initially intended to kill him but instead cultivated the alliance and occasionally guided him 29.
• Old beggar — Benefactor and prospective master associated with the Five Radiances Sect; rejected Tong Gaolu because of his conduct but left him valuable cultivation resources 36.
• Qian Qi — Former Rong Clan Attendant who defected after witnessing Tong Gaolu’s strength. Tong Gaolu killed him when his loyalty wavered during the palace confrontation 48.
• Rong Tuo — Political enemy who organized two attempts on his life 46 48.
• Chen Heng — Killer and eventual recipient of his bodily cultivation art 48 50.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Failed Hunting Ambush

After discovering Tong Gaolu’s rebellious ambitions, Rong Tuo sent five Qi Refining Attendants to kill him during a hunt. Tong Gaolu killed three; Huang Zaichen and Qian Qi escaped, with Qian Qi subsequently defecting to his side. The failure left the Rong Clan fearful of confronting him without additional help 47 48.

Grand Court Assembly Ambush

Chen Heng first removed Tong Jizhen and secured an agreement with the Rong Clan granting him Tong Gaolu’s cultivation resources upon victory. Meanwhile, Tong Gaolu remained unaware of his brother’s death because Tu Shan Ge had assumed Tong Jizhen’s appearance 40 43 47.

On the morning of the assembly, Tong Gaolu ignored his body’s warning and entered the palace procession. The gates closed behind his party, and archers attacked from the walls. He killed dozens before Chen Heng intervened and the Rong Clan’s cultivators joined the assault 47.

The decisive sequence was:

1. Ranged pressure: Chen Heng kept his distance while bombarding Tong Gaolu with thunderfire and the Green Bamboo Thorn 48.
2. Hidden freezing attack: Chen Heng threw Tong Yi toward his father, releasing Cold Dipper True Qi previously concealed inside the captive 39 48.
3. Penetrating strike: Rong Tuo used the opening to activate the Blood-Red Flying Shuttle at close range and bore through Tong Gaolu’s skull 48.
4. Finishing attacks: Chen Heng detonated the Solid-Sinking Inkstone above him, then repeatedly pierced his skull with the Green Bamboo Thorn until he died 48.

Posthumous Legacy

Chen Heng collected Tong Gaolu’s corpse after the battle. Within the One True Dharma Realm, he repeatedly defeated Tong Gaolu’s simulated mind image and obtained Tai Su Jade Body from its Origin Spirit. The art’s potential convinced him that mastering it could secure him a place in the Nine Provinces and Four Seas 48 49 50.