Dou Zong, or Ancestor, a common term we often encounter in many Chinese cultivation donghua, but I think it is Battle Through The Heavens that truly made its unique phrases and terms about cultivation antics.
If we have to check on other xinxia donghua, several series shared similar terms in ranking the various stages of the cultivation process. It usually starts with Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul; then after these, each series introduces its unique stages. However, in Battle Through The Heavens, it is quite different.
We were introduced to Dou Zhe, Dou Shi, Da DouShi, Dou Ling, Dou Wang, Dou Huang, Dou Zong, Dou Zun, Dou Sheng, and Dou Di – albeit various substages also existed aside from these 10. In this post, we will discuss Dou Zong, or the Ancestors, in other series, these ancestors can be compared to those cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage, or higher.
But in Battle Through The Heavens, the most notable trait of a Dou Zong compared to the levels lower than them, is their capacity to level an empire single-handedly if strong or equal in strength cultivators are on the other side. They have the power to tear up spaces, they don’t need to have Dou Qi Wings, instead, they float and walk in the air.
10+ Dou Zong (Ancestor) That Appeared in Battle Through The Heavens Donghua
Attaining the strength of a Dou Zong is a very difficult task, such is the reason why we’ve only met a few of them in the animation so far. Previously, I’ve written about the strongest Dou Huang that appeared in the donghua so far, though it may be outdated, I’ll do the same trick in this post but not measure or rank the strengths of the Dou Zong, instead, I will introduce all the Ancestors that appeared in the donghua so far.
Yun Shan
First on our list of Dou Zong that appeared in Battle Through The Heavens donghua is Yun Shan, the former sect leader of Yunlan Sect, and enemy of Xiao Yan. He was the master of Yun Yun, and he was powerful, enough to make the entire Jia Ma Empire wary of him. Even powerful Dou Huang like Jia Xintian, Fa Ma, and Hai Bodong can’t do anything against his overbearing actions in the empire, and forces Xiao Yan to flee with his life to the Black-Corner Region, leaving his Xiao Family behind.
Yun Shan is arguably, one of the strongest Dou Zong that appeared in the animation so far, he is confident that he can restrain Queen Medusa albeit, it’ll be a pricey cost. He and his Yunlan Sect is overwhelming, enough for the neighboring kingdom not to assault Jia Ma Empire, while raising the reputation of his sect to a 1st class power in the region. Xiao Yan in the novel even mentioned that upon his return to the Jia Ma Empire, Yun Shan is quite stronger than Grand Elder Su Qian of the Jia Nan Academy, although, this may be all thanks to forbidden powers given to him by the Hall of Soul.
Cai Lin (Queen Medusa)
Coming next on our list is the gorgeous and enthralling queen of the Snake-people Tribe, Queen Medusa who now goes by the name Cai Lin by Xiao Yan. All these years, she was considered one of the strongest characters in Battle Through The Heavens donghua along with the likes of Yun Shan and Yao Lao.
She had been Xiao Yan’s strongest ally all this time who protected him against powerful opponents such as Yun Shan, Protector Wu, Yan Luotian, and the Three Elders of Mulan Valley. She even helped Xiao Yan strengthen and secure the authority of the Yan Alliance, and the Xiao Gate in the Black Corner Region.
Su Qian
The Grand Elder of the Jia Nan Academy is next on our list. While I think that the full extent of Su Qian is not fully explored or revealed in the donghua, he is a true elite Dou Zong who was feared and respected by many in the Black-Corner Region. He had been an avid ally of Xiao Yan with whom both shared a mutual companionship despite their age and power differences. Being the Grand Elder of the Jia Nan Academy, he had access to various Dou Qi skills and techniques, he also had sufficient influence in the perilous Black Corner Region.
Xiao Yi Xian
Also known as Poison Lady, the leader of the Poison Sect, and a true elite Dou Zong who can stand in the same league as Queen Medusa. In reality, she was Xiao Yan’s childhood friend. In the donghua, she’s currently one of the Dou Zong that had been allied with Xiao Yan but for now, she hasn’t gained enough trust from the people that surround Xiao Yan yet because she’s one of the powers that led the attack on the Jia Ma Empire.
As her epithet suggested, Xiao Yi Xian’s power revolves around controlling poisonous Dou Qi. Unlike Medusa though, there are instances where she’s having a problem controlling her strength because of how her body works, but her presence is the reason why Medusa is having a hard time dealing with Yan Luotian and the Three Elders of Mulan Valley. She will play a major role in the next chapters of Battle Through The Heavens donghua as Cai Lin exits in the timeline so far. Hence, she’ll be Xiao Yan’s strongest ally and protector until he arrives in the Central Plain.
Protector Wu
An 8-star Dou Zong, he is probably the strongest ancestor that appeared in the donghua so far, as even Medusa is having a hard time dealing with him and he easily defeated powerful Dou Huang like Hai Bodong and Jia Xintian. He is also strong enough to fight Yao Lao, who, in spiritual form contained the power of a Dou Zong too.
Protector Tie
A 4-star Dou Zong, he is the one who instigated Poison Lady to attack the Jia Ma Empire to capture the leader of the Yan Alliance who happens to be Xiao Yan. He is cunning but not as powerful as Protector Wu. Nonetheless, he did give Xiao Yan, Poison Lady, and even Medusa a hard time during their time in the Chu Empire.
Yan Luo Tian
He is a 2-star Dou Zong who joined with the Three Mulan Elders and Poison Lady in attacking the Jia Ma Empire. He is a true Dou Zong but doesn’t stand a chance against powerful enemies such as Queen Medusa, or Poison Lady. However, with the assistance of the Three Mulan Elders, he can fight evenly with Queen Medusa, enough to threaten her and the members of the Yan Alliance during their assault. While Dou Zong’s defining trait is the ability to walk in the air, he seems to float most of the time and still displays a wing-like attire. He is quite arrogant too, that somehow reminds me of Yun Shan.
Three Mulan Elders
Individually, I wouldn’t consider them as Dou Zong because they are only at peak Dou Huang. However, because of their Dou Qi Method – Three Beast Savage Skill, they can combine their power and obtain the same strength comparable to a Dou Zong.
Bai Lie and Qian Mu
These two are the Guardians of Jia Nan Academy, and they only appeared briefly in the donghua. We haven’t seen them in an actual fight yet, but they are currently the strongest Dou Zong in Battle Through The Heavens animation. Both are 9-star Dou Zong, and they only act if the Jia Nan Academy is in grave danger. In the donghua, they are the two elders that appeared when Xiao Yan and his companions from the Outer Academy were brought to pick their reward, a Dou technique upon entering the Inner Academy. They were previously the First Elders of Jia Nan Academy, hence, they are seniors of Su Qian.
Mister Gold and Mister Silver
These two brothers are both 9-star Dou Huang, just like the Three Mulan Elders, they have the power to combine and contend even against an elite Dou Zong, such is the case when they keep Su Qian occupied during Han Feng’s attack to acquire the Fallen Heart Flame.
Yao Lao in Spiritual Form
While technically not a Dou Zong, Yao Lao, Xiao Yan’s teacher is an elite Dou Zun when he was alive but now, he is still powerful enough, even achieving the strength of a Dou Zong in his spiritual form, albeit, he cannot fight in the long run due to this handicap.
Stronger but Not Dou Zong
Another powerful person from the Hall of Souls that appeared in the donghua is Old Mu Gu but he is not a Dou Zong but instead a Dou Zun, so I won’t list him here, but he was the one who attacked Yao Lao during the Battle Through The Heavens: Origin, along with the young Han Feng who betrayed his master.
One thing that bugged me though is that in Battle Through The Heavens: Nian Fan Episode 68, Gu Xuner appeared with Ling Ying, and it seems she may also breakthrough the Dou Zong realm as she seems to float in the air but this has not been confirmed yet. But we all know that eventually, she’ll be powerful, among the few characters who became Dou Di just like Xiao Yan.
In the novel, other characters in the Dou Zong realm should have appeared already in the donghua but it seems they’d been cut off from the story to limit the characters to appear in the animation. Nonetheless, these are all the Dou Zong that appeared so far in the Battle Through The Heavens donghua adaptation.
Last Updated on November 15, 2023 by Yu Alexius
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