Teng Kun

Biodata

Background / History

Teng Ling and the Blood Tower Rivalry

Teng Kun devoted substantial resources to Teng Ling, whose soul survived without her original flesh-and-blood body and inhabited a fifth-rank Brain-Devouring Snake. She recognized that supporting her had slowed his cultivation. Teng Kun regretted an earlier decision connected to her condition, and the two shared a desire to kill an unnamed member of the Primal Demon Temple 50 56 57.

His rivalry with Gu Jianzhou centered on the sect’s sixth Blood Tower. These towers were reserved for cultivators who reached the Freedom Realm, and securing one would benefit both Teng Kun and his granddaughter. Gu Jianzhou’s attainment of Great Perfection in the Six Tribulations Realm pushed Teng Kun to concentrate resources on his own breakthrough 57.

Acquiring the Soul-Pacifying Bead

Teng Kun imprisoned the surviving Lingxiao Sect disciples on Demon Mountain and demanded the Soul-Pacifying Bead. To intimidate them, he had his Brain-Devouring Snake kill Lv Yang by entering his head and consuming his brain and soul 1 50.

Zhao Changfeng eventually killed Song Ziyan, recovered the bead from her body, and handed it over. Teng Kun burned the two apparent souls concealed inside it with demonic fire. When Zhao asked to join the Crippled Demon Sect, Teng Kun tested him by demanding that he kill Lu Tao and Xu Yifei. Zhao refused to break his promise to protect them; Teng Kun nevertheless accepted him as a disciple and permitted the pair to leave 4 21.

Demon Spirit Calamity

Teng Kun left with two Formal Disciples to investigate a disturbance in the World Membrane. As the invasion spread, he ordered all Crippled Demon Sect disciples to defend Tamu Town and temporarily prohibited fighting among fellow disciples 6 19.

After being trapped deep within the World Membrane, he emerged aboard Demon Mountain. Passing over Tamu Town without stopping, he destroyed every Demon Spirit gathered there with a single palm strike before continuing toward Heavenly Shield City 34 43 44.

At Heavenly Shield City, two fifth-rank Demon Spirits repeatedly attacked him. Fighting aggravated the conflicting energies and backlash inside his body, making him increasingly dependent on the Soul-Pacifying Bead for recovery. Chen Jian’s fox-shaped Yin Ghost delivered Zhao Changfeng’s warning that the bead was part of a plot by Song Zejun, Zhou Jin, and high-rank Demon Spirits 45 46.

Teng Kun survived and subsequently confirmed the enemy’s purpose: devour his primordial spirit, possess his body, and enter the Crippled Demon Sect under his identity to release the beings suppressed beneath it. A peculiar Turbid Stone had helped conceal the trap from his senses. He credited Zhao’s warning with saving him 47 49.

Punishment and Recruitment Crisis

Teng Kun accepted responsibility for failing to detect the scheme, acknowledging that nearly a hundred thousand mortals in Heavenly Shield City had suffered soul devouring. Jiang Xuanqi suspended his normal cultivation resources for five years, with early restoration possible if he assembled seven Formal Disciples 51.

He unsuccessfully petitioned for Zhao Changfeng to receive Formal Disciple status before reaching the Primordial Spirit Realm. Rather than expose Zhao’s unusual cultivation formula to obtain an exception, he explained the consequences and allowed Zhao to wait 51.

The suspension left Teng Kun struggling to fund himself, Teng Ling, and Demon Mountain. His recruitment journey yielded only fifty-odd youths with cultivation talent and none with exceptional aptitude. Feng Mu had already collected promising candidates from the cities, further frustrating his search 55 56 58.

Recovery of His Standing

While Teng Kun was away, Zhao Changfeng helped Wu Long, Qiu Ying, and Zheng Tong reach the Primordial Spirit Realm. Returning to find three new Formal Disciples, Teng Kun brought the group into his cave and urged Zhao to attempt his own breakthrough 56 57 63.

He then wagered his Heavenblood Worm against Gu Jianzhou’s sixth-rank Black Flood Dragon corpse, promising to assemble five disciples for the Dim Swamp Forest expedition within three days. The dragon corpse was particularly valuable to him because refining it could help Teng Ling’s snake body advance 63.

During Zhao’s breakthrough, Teng Kun learned that his soul-refining talent far exceeded what they could safely reveal. He considered killing the three witnesses but relented after Zhao pleaded for them. Distressed that his own weakness forced his disciple to conceal his brilliance, Teng Kun resolved to pursue the Freedom Realm and, if he failed, entrust Zhao to Jiang Xuanqi 64 65.

At the gathering, Teng Kun won the dragon corpse and presented seven Formal Disciples, securing restoration of his resources. He initially intended to keep Zhao safely at the sect, but accepted his insistence on joining the expedition. Teng Kun then ordered Lin Ruonan to prioritize Zhao’s survival, even at the cost of her own life 66 67 68.

Appearance

Teng Kun is an elderly, tall, thin cultivator with a gaunt, deeply wrinkled face and a withered body 1 49 63.

• Crimson robes: Usually wears a large red robe; he can expand it to carry several people 1 63.
• Bloodshot left eye: Its veins become especially conspicuous while he struggles to suppress his internal fury and backlash 1 46.
• Occupied right eye socket: The Brain-Devouring Snake rests inside it, creating the appearance of a triangular eye with two green vertical pupils. When the snake leaves, the socket is hollow and pitch-black 1.

Personality

Teng Kun is ruthless toward captives and ordinary disciples. He uses lethal intimidation to obtain the Soul-Pacifying Bead and interprets his promise to spare its finders narrowly, placing Lu Tao and Xu Yifei’s lives in Zhao Changfeng’s hands. He also approves of killing hostile cultivators from another sect so long as no evidence remains 1 4 49.

His treatment of disciples changes sharply with demonstrated talent and usefulness. He ordinarily pays little attention to Named Disciples, but becomes increasingly gentle and protective toward Zhao after Zhao saves his life and helps restore his position. His appreciation does not erase his pragmatism: he briefly considers killing Zhao’s allies to protect the secret of his talent 56 63 64.

With Teng Ling, he is affectionate, indulgent, and protective. He hides his recruitment difficulties from her and discourages her from entering the dangerous Unordered Zone. Despite his cruelty elsewhere, he openly accepts responsibility for his failures during the Heavenly Shield City calamity 50 51 55.

Abilities & Skills

Six Tribulations Realm Cultivation

Teng Kun stands at the realm’s Great Perfection and is likely Heavenly Shield City’s strongest defender during the invasion 44 45.

• Eradicates all Demon Spirits gathered in Tamu Town with one palm strike 44.
• Survives repeated battles with two fifth-rank Demon Spirits, neither at the peak of that rank 46.
• Suffers severe internal conflict and cultivation backlash after intense fighting, limiting how quickly he can recover 46.

Insect-Grass Demon Art

Teng Kun cultivates the Insect-Grass Demon Art and regards Lin Ruonan, who follows the same path, as an inheritor of his mantle 55 60.

• Supplies Lin Ruonan with demonic insects and spiritual plants used in her cultivation 62.
• Must continually suppress the art’s backlash; Teng Ling worries that agitation will worsen his condition 55.

Primordial Spirit and Divine Sense

Teng Kun can project his primordial spirit outside his body and use divine sense to examine others 49 55.

• Enters Zhao Changfeng’s body to inspect his dantians and the workings of his small cauldrons 49.
• Surveys prospective recruits and disciples’ cultivation progress 55 56 57.
• Communicates directly through the primordial spirit with Chen Jian’s Yin Ghost 46.
• Cannot search memories buried deep within another person’s mind 48.
• Can be deceived by unusual concealment treasures: the Turbid Stone hid the enemy’s arrangement from his normal perception 49.

Demonic Fire

Teng Kun releases demonic fire capable of burning souls 21.

• Uses it on the two apparent souls within the Soul-Pacifying Bead 4 21.
• Their destruction does not kill Song Zejun and Zhou Jin, whose sacrificed soul fragments formed part of the deception 45.

Cultivation Instruction

Formal Disciples can seek Teng Kun’s help with cultivation difficulties and receive higher-level demonic arts 5.

• Recommends the Seven Tribulations Indestructible Art to improve Zhao’s bodily resilience and breakthrough prospects 52 63.
• Teaches Zhao cultivation principles and information about the Lingyao Realm after his advancement 69.
• Transmits orders through disciples’ Demon Tokens, including sect-wide emergency instructions and private messages 19 68.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Demon Mountain — Flying mountain containing disciples’ caves and Teng Kun’s summit residence. Keeping it airborne consumes considerable spirit stones 5 46 55.
• Fifth-rank Brain-Devouring Snake — Houses Teng Ling’s soul and normally occupies his right eye socket. It can invade a victim’s head and devour their brain and soul 1 50.
• Soul-Pacifying Bead — Temporarily eases his internal conflict but becomes the centerpiece of the possession plot. Its shattered remains appear after the crisis 46 47.
• Heavenblood Worm — Treasured insect wagered against Gu Jianzhou’s dragon corpse; rumored to originate from Beyond the Heavens of the Three Great Ruins 63.
• Sixth-rank Black Flood Dragon corpse — Won from Gu Jianzhou for Teng Ling’s advancement 63 66.
• Five-story Spirit Tower — His sect residence, containing a blood pool, Soul Pillar, and Teng Ling’s red-crystal-like skeleton 61 65.
• Wood-Leaf Scale Armor — Fourth-rank defensive treasure given to Zhao Changfeng; protects him against Feng Mu’s poisonous creatures and miasma 75.

Relationships

• Teng Ling / Lin’er — Granddaughter whose survival and advancement consume much of his resources. She can act on his behalf, although most disciples do not know their family relationship 50 54 56.
• Zhao Changfeng — Disciple and lifesaver. Teng Kun champions his promotion, protects his concealed talent, and increasingly treats him as his most important disciple 49 51 64 68.
• Lin Ruonan — Disciple in the Three Calamities Realm and inheritor of his Insect-Grass Demon Art. He orders her to protect Zhao and promises to safeguard her mother for life 60 68.
• Ruan Meizhen — Formal Disciple. Teng Kun understands the source of her obsessive inner demon and favors her relationship with Zhao as a possible means of overcoming it 62.
• Pang Fan, Zheng Tong, Qiu Ying, and Wu Long — Formal Disciples who, together with Lin Ruonan, Ruan Meizhen, and Zhao, complete the seven-person requirement for restoring his resources 63 65 66.
• Gu Jianzhou — Rival for the sixth Blood Tower. Their conflict extends to recruitment obstruction and violent clashes between disciples 57 58 66.
• Jiang Xuanqi — Sect master who imposes his resource suspension and honors the promise to lift it once Teng Kun produces seven Formal Disciples 51 66.
• Chen Jian — Ghost-Controlling Sect cultivator whose Yin Ghost delivers Zhao’s warning during the siege 46.
• Song Zejun and Zhou Jin — Conspirators who help place the trapped Soul-Pacifying Bead in his hands, intending to facilitate a high-rank Demon Spirit’s possession of him 45 47.

Notable Quotes

“A Great Demon Cultivator of standing like me speaks words as weighty as nine cauldrons. I value honesty above all.” 3

“Good! Well done! So what if they’re from the Primal Demon Temple? As long as no one finds out, kill them and be done with it!” 49

“Once I reclaim the sect resources that should have been mine, I’ll devote everything to reaching the Freedom Realm!” 65