Seven-and-Eight-Gates Method
Last updated 2025-12-15
The Seven-and-Eight-Gates Method, also known as the Seven-and-Eight-Gates Array, is a secret art from Liyue that can be used to suppress evil spirits and even gods. It was most famously used by the Eight Adepts during the sanctification of Tao Dou,[1] while another array was used to seal an evil chi at the Hidden Palace of Zhou Formula.[2][3]
Overview
The "eight gates" refer to the eight key nodes in Liyue's Ley Lines, which can be used to direct the Ley Lines' energy. Some of these "gates" are associated with misfortune, such as the Gates of Fright, Injury, and Death, while others are considered auspicious, like the Gates of Life and Concealment. Since Ley Lines are affected by human activity, the node corresponding to each gate is subject to change. For example, the gate at The Chasm was the Gate of Life in the distant past, but following the great struggle at The Chasm during the cataclysm, it has since become the Gate of Injury. The Gate of Life, meanwhile, has moved to Yilong Wharf.[4]
The Seven-and-Eight-Gates Method deploys an array between the eight gates, with a person overseeing each gate. While the selection process has not been elaborated on, it seems that those chosen to be array masters have close ties to that location. For example, Ningguang's conclusion that the two best options for the Gate of Injury were either Yelan or Xiao was enough for Yelan to deduce that it was located in The Chasm,[5] where she and Xiao worked together during Archon Quest Interlude Chapter: Act II - Perilous Trail.
The "seven" in the technique's name comes from the number of gates remaining after the array is activated. The array master selects one gate to subdue evil via "obfuscation," erasing themselves from the Ley Lines to seal the gate and cut off evil's escape.[5] Because the Seven-and-Eight-Gates Method operates on the Ley Lines' principles, if the person overseeing the gate being obfuscated is a Descender — whose existence is not recorded by the Ley Lines — they will not disappear as a result.[4]
The Eight Gates
| Name | Symbolism | Most Recent Location |
|---|---|---|
| Gate of Life | Growth, prosperity, and revitalization | Yilong Wharf |
| Gate of Death | (Not mentioned) | Wuwang Hill |
| Gate of Repose | (Not mentioned) | Qingce Village |
| Gate of Concealment | Refuge, peace, and good fortune | Mt. Aocang |
| Gate of Initiation | (Not mentioned) | Liyue Harbor |
| Gate of Terrain | Fire and volatility; light, growth, and prosperity | Dihua Marsh |
| Gate of Fright | Fear and desolation | Guyun Stone Forest |
| Gate of Injury | Wounds and loss | The Chasm |
Story
Archon War
During the Archon War, the god Tao Dou, behind whom lay the realm of the dead, was corrupted by the turmoil of the Archon War. This disrupted the realm of the dead and caused the lines between life and death to blur, wreaking havoc across the land. A group of five humans and three adepti, later known as the Eight Adepts, rose up to purify Tao Dou with the Seven-and-Eight-Gates Method. The Lone Butterfly of the Crimson Flame, one of the Three Beasts of Tao Dou, sacrificed herself to activate the array. Her techniques and deeds were taken up by Wuwang Kid, who deeply idolized her, and passed down to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.[3]
At some point, the knowledge on performing the Seven-and-Eight-Gates Method was lost, and no records about it exist in Yuehai Pavilion.[6] However, its name persisted through legends about the Sanctification of Tao Dou and other stories of dubious accuracy.[3]
Present Day
A few months before the Event Springtime Charms, large amounts of fetor began leaking from the border between life and death, located near Wuwang Hill. The elderly residents of Qingce Village began to suffer from mysterious ailments, caused by being robbed of their vitality as the boundaries between life and death became blurred. The Ministry of Civil Affairs, which had already began investigating the cause of these ailments, was informed of the issue with the boundary by Hu Tao.[5] Hu Tao proposed using the Art of Homa to redo the affected part of the boundary, maximizing its area of effect by utilizing the Seven-and-Eight-Gates Method to carry the Art of Homa across the Ley Lines.[4] Around this time, the Ministry received a mysterious letter, anonymously sent by the adepti, revealing critical information about performing the ritual and four nodes' current positions.[6]
Ningguang and Hu Tao established the following arrangement for the eight gates and their overseers:
- Gate of Life: Keqing
- Gate of Death: Hu Tao, selected for obfuscation
- Gate of Repose: Qiqi and Baizhu
- Gate of Concealment: Ganyu
- Gate of Initiation: Ningguang and Lan Yan
- Gate of Terrain: Xiao
- Gate of Fright: Beidou and The Crux
- Gate of Injury: Yelan
To increase Hu Tao's chances of survival, Lan Yan created rattan dolls of Hu Tao and placed them at each gate, using them to link the other overseers to her so they could share the burden of the fetor.[4]
Trivia
Etymology
- The concept of "eight gates" (Chinese: 八门) is derived from the Chinese divination method known as Qimen Dunjia (Chinese: 奇门遁甲). (The Qimen here is the same qimen in Qimen Arts, which was utilized by Wind Reader of the Eight Adepts and passed down along the Lan family.) In the Qimen Dunjia, the Eight Gates are part of the Human Gate and are used to predict human affairs. The eight gates are delineated as follows (using their English localization names for convenience):
- Auspicious: 开门 "Gate of Initiation," 休门 "Gate of Repose," 生门 "Gate of Life"
- Inauspicious: 死门 "Gate of Death," 惊门 "Gate of Fright," 伤门 "Gate of Injury"
- Neutral: 杜门 "Gate of Concealment," 景门 "Gate of Terrain"
Other Languages
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Seven-and-Eight-Gates Method | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 八门七门大阵 Bāmén Qīmén Dàzhèn | Eight-Gates-Seven-Doors Grand Formation |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 八門七門大陣 Bāmén Qīmén Dàzhèn | |
| Japanese | 八門七門の陣 | |
| Korean | 팔문 칠문 진 Palmun Chilmun Jin | |
| Spanish | Hechizo de las Siete y Ocho Puertas | Spell of the Seven and Eight Doors |
| French | Pentacle des sept-et-huit portes | Seven-and-Eight-Gates Pentacle |
| Russian | Метод Семи- Metod Semi-Vos'mi Vrat | |
| Thai | ค่ายกลเจ็ดจักระแปดประตู Khai Kon Chet Chakra Paet Pratu | Formation of the Seven Chakras-Eight Gates |
| Vietnamese | Bát Môn Thất Môn Đại Trận Pháp | |
| German | Formation der sieben und acht Tore | Formation of the Seven and Eight Gates |
| Indonesian | Formasi Tujuh dan Delapan Gerbang | |
| Portuguese | Método dos Sete e Oito Portões | |
| Turkish | Yedi ve Sekiz Kapı Yöntemi | |
| Italian | Metodo delle Settotto Porte |
Change History
References
- ↑ Event Springtime Charms Quest: First Stanza: Liyue Celebrates and Eight Adepts Face a Hidden Calamity
- ↑ Blessing Domain Entrance Description: Hidden Palace of Zhou Formula
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Event Springtime Charms Quest: First Stanza: Liyue Celebrates and Eight Adepts Face a Hidden Calamity
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Event Springtime Charms Quest: Third Stanza: Qimen Arts and the Rite of Homa, the Spirits are Calmed and Life Restored
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Event Springtime Charms Quest: Second Stanza: The Funeral Parlor Has No Master, Yujing Terrace Calls the Troops
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Event Springtime Charms World Quest: Final Stanza: The Sanctification of Tao Dou
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