NovelPantheon

Zhao Erbao

Antiquities collector, guide, and coerced operative / later Foundation EstablishmentCong Yun Sea

Zhao Erbao is a local Cong Yun Sea cultivator whose knowledge of submerged ruins makes him useful to Li Fan's search for artifacts carrying Dao resonance.

Biography

Illusions Play with Hearts

At sixty-eight, Zhao Erbao is already moving ancient goods by flying boat and investigating civilizations drowned beneath the Cong Yun Sea. Li Fan captures him, uses illusion and ice energy to convince him that a deadly restriction has been planted, and forces him to explain and expand the collection operation. Zhao then introduces Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei to Alliance work, helping them accumulate contributions while he searches for Dao-resonance antiques. Fear of Li Fan keeps him obedient, especially after witnessing a sword strike he believes belongs to a Golden Core expert. He later reaches Foundation Establishment, but his attempts to reproduce useful resonance remain a source of friction with Yin Yueting. (Chapters 130–146, 152–153, and 301–302)

Appearance and personality

Zhao Erbao is an older local cultivator later described as having shifty eyes. He is talkative, opportunistic, easily frightened by superior force, and adept at surviving through compliance. His practical knowledge is genuine even when fear and self-interest shape how he presents it. (Chapters 130–133 and 301)

Abilities and cultivation

Antiquities and ruin knowledge

Zhao understands that many seabed ruins predate the Cong Yun Sea's inundation and can organize the recovery of ancient artifacts. He cannot reliably identify every object with Dao resonance, so large hauls may yield only a few useful pieces. (Chapters 130–141 and 301)

Foundation Establishment cultivation

He reaches Foundation Establishment by the later collection period. The supplied chapters do not name a signature combat art or support a further realm progression. (Chapters 301–302)

Relationships

  • Li Fan coerces Zhao Erbao into service through fear and an apparent restriction.
  • Xiao Heng and Su Xiaomei work with him and enter Alliance tasks through his introduction.
  • Yin Yueting supervises or challenges his artifact-collection results.

Items

  • Dao-resonance antiques — Zhao collects and transports these for Li Fan's network; custody is operational, and the useful pieces are selected for others. (Chapters 136–153 and 301–302)