Song Zongwu

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Song Zongwu (宋宗无)
Alias(es)	Four-Armed Yama; Six-Armed Asura; Earthly Immortal
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Jailer Hall; Dao of Non-action Monastery
Occupation/Role	Forbidden Guard; cultivator; protector of the Dao of Non-action Monastery
First Appearance	Chapter 8
Status	Active

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Four-Armed Yama (Asura Method)	9	Already possessed the manifested Asura Method, with six eyes and four arms; Ren Qing could not fully discern his strength.
Yin Messenger Realm	155	Identified as a Yin Messenger Realm cultivator while preparing to eliminate the Immortal Devouring Forbidden Zone.
Yin Messenger Realm Grand Completion	337	Displayed Grand Completion divine abilities and a body-focused cultivation system while facing the Corpse Elephant.
Yang God Realm	338	Exhausted his lifespan rather than rely on Buddhist life-extending methods, leapt from a mountain summit, and transformed into a six-armed Asura moments before impact.
Yang God Realm, stabilized	518	Awoke after escaping the Deer-Riding Arhat's influence; his six arms and six eyes had regrown, though his soul had become wax-like.
Dao-Life One / Heavenly Eerie Realm	618	Advanced from the Spell-Life Dao of the Heavenly Eerie Realm to Dao-Life One; his Immortal position manifested him as a colossal, karma-fire-marked Vajra.
Grand Unity Golden Immortal	635	Broke through after confronting the memories of the Nameless Ascetic Monk and reaffirming the Path of the Asura.

Background / History

Song Zongwu cultivated at Linggan Temple as a child. His master taught him the Asura Method and the Diting Art, disciplines requiring severe conditions: the Asura Method required severed arms, while the Diting Art required the loss of the five senses. He also inherited the Buddhist Immovable Sutra, associated with the Seated Deer Arhat and restricted to a single qualified Buddha Child at a time 338.

Before becoming a Forbidden Guard, Song Zongwu had a family. His son, Song Rong, later pursued life extension through forbidden means; Song Zongwu's regrets over their relationship shaped his determination to uncover the truth behind Song Rong's death and actions 32.

He served in Sanxiang City as a Jailer Hall Forbidden Guard. During the Dungeon Forbidden Zone incident, he rescued Ren Qing from possession by the Human Face and subsequently became one of Ren Qing's principal seniors and guides 8 32.

Song Zongwu's Buddhist inheritance repeatedly threatened to overwhelm him. A swastika mark on his brow and Buddha patterns across his back manifested independently, while Buddhist energy offered him an easier route to the Yang God Realm at the risk of further entanglement with the Buddhist sect 274 337. He rejected that route, choosing to advance through the Asura Method without using lifespan-extending spells 338.

Appearance

Song Zongwu's body changes dramatically with his cultivation, combining an aged human appearance with increasingly overt Asura traits.

• Six eyes and four arms beneath his armpits in his Four-Armed Yama form 8.
• A heavily muscled physique described as demonic in appearance 8.
• At Yin Messenger Realm Grand Completion, he could grow beyond four meters tall; his skin turned bronze and his body bore pale-black patterns 337.
• Following his Yang God Realm breakthrough, he possessed six arms and six black eyes as a Six-Armed Asura 338.
• His back once bore the Hundred Buddhas Painting, which could transform into grim, vengeful figures when Buddhist energy was suppressed 337.
• As Dao-Life One, he manifested at a scale of several thousand meters, with fiery-red patterns across his skin and karma fire erupting from his pores 618.

Personality

Song Zongwu is direct, severe, and fiercely protective. He is willing to use ruthless methods against threats, but his actions are guided by a desire to protect civilians, fellow jailers, and those endangered by Forbidden Zones. Li Yaoyang specifically worried that Song Zongwu might lose control and embark on a killing spree, reflecting the intensity of his temperament and power 8 27.

He places exceptional value on personal resolve. Song Zongwu repeatedly advises Ren Qing to preserve his true self rather than be ruled by cultivation techniques, and he refuses to disclose or hear divine abilities carelessly because they are fundamental to a cultivator's survival 33 338.

Despite his intimidating presence, he is compassionate toward the dead and wounded. He performed the Rebirth Mantra for the deceased after Song Rong's death, healed and detoxified Dao of Non-action Monastery disciples during the zombie assault, and carried lasting regret over his family 48 274.

Abilities & Skills

Asura Method

Song Zongwu's principal Jailer Method transforms his body into an Asura-like combat form.

• Manifests extra arms and six eyes; initially known as the Four-Armed Yama form 8 9.
• Requires adherence to the Five Buddhist Precepts: no killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, or alcohol 32.
• Developed into a Six-Armed Asura upon reaching the Yang God Realm 338.
• Emphasizes physical enhancement and close-quarters combat 337.
• Can form a dense six-armed defense that exploits openings and pressures enemies into hesitation 580.

Wrathful Asura

A Yang God Realm divine ability that greatly expands Song Zongwu's physical form and destructive force.

• Enlarges him to more than ten meters, with bronze skin and an Asura manifestation behind him 361.
• Allowed him to annihilate all demonic beasts within a hundred meters with a single palm strike 361.
• Generates overwhelming mobility through raw leg strength and explosive leaps 274 361.

Diting Art

A sensory Jailer Method taught alongside the Asura Method.

• Enables him to distinguish truth from falsehood 280.
• Includes Listen to All, which he used to observe distant environmental changes and detect danger 274.
• His Buddhist-influenced senses remained highly sensitive to danger even after he stopped relying on Buddhist spells 358.

Buddhist Cultivation

Song Zongwu possesses the Immovable Sutra, a Buddhist spell linked to the Seated Deer Arhat.

• Buddhist spells have no ordinary realm divisions; completed cultivation produces Buddhahood, classified as Arhat, Bodhisattva, or Tathagata Fruit 338.
• Buddhist energy could have enabled an easier Yang God Realm breakthrough, but Song Zongwu resisted it 337 338.
• His Buddhist marks and Buddha energy attracted the Corpse Elephant 337.
• The Deer-Riding Arhat's influence damaged his soul and left it with a melted-wax consistency 518.
• He warns that Buddhist sects entangle cultivators in cycles of lost control and reincarnation 518.

Karma Fire

Karma fire became intertwined with Song Zongwu's foundation after his Buddhist fruit status was displaced.

• Invaded Ren Qing's body upon physical contact after Song Zongwu's awakening 518.
• Penetrated Song Zongwu's bones and became linked to his breakthrough prospects 590 595.
• Replaced his original Buddhist fruit status through an unrepeatable symbiosis 595.
• Burned intensely during his Grand Unity Golden Immortal battles 635.

Rebirth Mantra

A funerary rite used to aid the deceased.

• Performed for the souls of the dead following Song Rong's death 48.

Equipment / Items

• Iron shovels — supplied to Ren Qing and other miners for physical tempering at Camel Peak Black Mine 42.
• Peach wine — drank before attempting his life-or-death Yang God Realm breakthrough 338.
• Sarira — guided him toward an opportunity connected to his Yang God Realm promotion 280.

Relationships

• Ren Qing — junior, ally, and mentee. Song Zongwu saved him from the Human Face, trained his judgment, protected him during breakthroughs, and entrusted him with increasingly serious matters 8 33 42 156. Ren Qing later repeatedly worked to save, restore, and stabilize Song Zongwu 330 485 518.
• Song Rong — son. Their strained relationship and Song Rong's pursuit of life extension caused Song Zongwu lasting regret 32 48.
• Li Yaoyang — fellow Forbidden Guard. They cooperated during the Dungeon and Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone incidents, though Li Yaoyang was wary of Song Zongwu losing control 8 9 54.
• Li Tiangang — fellow Jailer Hall cultivator and ally. Assisted in efforts to rescue Song Zongwu from the Immortal Devouring Forbidden Zone and seal Eerie Objects 160 178.
• Great Dream True Person — fellow high-level Jailer Hall cultivator. Fought beside Song Zongwu against the Moon Mirror and later cultivated alongside him 635 639.
• Wuliangzi — Sect Master of the Dao of Non-action Monastery. Song Zongwu saved him and his disciples during a zombie assault in Jingzhou 274.
• Nameless Ascetic Monk — antagonist connected to Song Zongwu's fragmented soul and residual memories 482 485 635.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Dungeon Forbidden Zone

Song Zongwu intervened when Ren Qing was nearly possessed by the Human Face, tearing the anomaly from Ren Qing's neck. He then joined Li Yaoyang and Miss Bai in recovering the Human Skin Book fragments and defeating the Human Face 8 9.

Disaster Aversion and Song Rong Investigations

He investigated erased Fire Worker memories and the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone, extracting memories from a corpse despite the danger involved 27 28. Later, he investigated Song Rong's apparent death with Ren Qing and chose to pursue his missing son after identifying evidence of the Human Skin Book's Skin Peeler ability 32.

Camel Peak and Forbidden Zone Containment

At Camel Peak Black Mine, Song Zongwu assigned Ren Qing to mining as a means of tempering his body and controlling his strength 42. He subsequently helped contain the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone and battled the Water Gourd Daoist 54.

Immortal Devouring Forbidden Zone

Song Zongwu personally entered the Immortal Devouring Forbidden Zone to contain and eliminate it, leading four Forbidden Guards into the unstable area 156. He became trapped inside, continued fighting the Grain Giant and Wraiths, and relied on Ren Qing's information concerning the Stove Eye and core Eerie Object 160 161.

Jingzhou and Yang God Realm Breakthrough

Transported to Jingzhou by a relic while his consciousness was blurred, Song Zongwu defended the Dao of Non-action Monastery from zombies and was mistaken for its Earthly Immortal statue 274. After resisting Buddhist energy and exhausting his lifespan, he achieved the Yang God Realm by leaping from a mountain and awakening his Six-Armed Asura form 337 338.

Buddhist Sect Crisis and Restoration

Song Zongwu later became a headless, instinct-driven figure due to Buddhist entanglements. Ren Qing discovered that only his Heavenly Soul remained, preserved his memories, repaired his Niwan Palace, and reconstructed his body 471 472 482 485. Song Zongwu eventually awakened, but his damaged soul required him to remain in the Underworld until he could advance further 518.

Higher-Realm Cultivation

He continued cultivating through the Yang God Realm and toward the Lifeless Immortal stage, aided by karma fire and a Human Immortal official position 586 590 595. He later reached Dao-Life One and ultimately attained Grand Unity Golden Immortal, where he wielded a thousand-armed manifestation against the Moon Mirror 618 635.

Notable Quotes

“Techniques are but minor paths; only the self is the great path.” 33

“This path of cultivation is ultimately one you have to walk yourself.” 338

“How can I, Song Zongwu, wait to die in old age?!” 338

“Enduring hardship prevents falling; this is the Path of the Asura.” 635

Trivia

• At age eighty-six, Song Zongwu possessed a documented lifespan of two hundred fifty-three years 9.
• His tremendous increased weight after a cultivation breakthrough was enough to nearly crush Sun, despite Sun's Yin Messenger Realm strength 236.
• He was worshipped as an “Earthly Immortal” by disciples of the Dao of Non-action Monastery because their sect statue resembled him 274.
• Song Zongwu's cultivation is closely tied to bodily transformation; even his later divine abilities primarily manifest through physical strength, arms, eyes, and karma fire 337 361 635.