Wu Zhao

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Wu Zhao came from Yanling Commandery in the Great Qin Empire. Her parents were rogue cultivators who had reached the Divine Transformation Stage. More than a decade before the battle at the Earth God Temple, they died fighting a Four-Star Spirit Beast, the Black Demon Flood Dragon. Before their deaths, they used their combined wills to suppress its divine sense and seal it inside their daughter, preventing it from exterminating the family 293.

Her grandparents were the Free and Unfettered Duke and Duchess, collectively known as the Carefree Old Couple. Although individually Qi Refining Stage cultivators, their combined strength could contend with cultivators of a higher stage 162 293.

Wu Zhao began cultivating at ten. Six years of dutiful meditation produced little progress, but a breakthrough during a life-and-death struggle revealed that she grew most effectively through combat. From sixteen onward, she repeatedly challenged experts and reached the fourth layer of the Innate Realm within another six years 162.

Appearance

• Features: An exquisite face, bright eyes, black hair, and a slender figure; her bearing is repeatedly compared to a female god of war 162 279 624.
• Warrior attire: Wears silver metallic armor and carries a golden Coiled Dragon Spear at the Sword Peak banquet 279.
• Flood Dragon transformation: Develops a single horn, fine black scales, vertical snake pupils, and a more slender physique, surrounded by ominous monster qi 293.
• Imperial attire: Wears a golden dragon robe and purple-gold phoenix crown while presiding over Great Tang's court 825.
• Private attire: Visits Futuo Mountain in a white dress, without the imposing presentation of her court appearances 827.

Personality

Wu Zhao is bold, competitive, and intensely attracted to worthy opponents. Rather than use her grandparents' prestige to settle the dispute over Situ Zhaixing, she proposes a duel between peers. She acknowledges her defeat by Zhuge Xiang but immediately resolves to challenge him again 162 165. Her determination becomes possessive in a martial sense at Sword Peak, where she insists that anyone seeking to defeat Zhuge Xiang must first defeat her 279.

Her pride is accompanied by loyalty and a strong sense of obligation. She refuses to leave Zhuge Xiang behind against the Hairy Zombies and insists on remaining with him until she can repay the repair of her spear 285 292. She also intervenes to rescue Li Zhi and dismisses his gratitude as unnecessary 448.

The ten years she experiences with Zhuge Xiang in the Nanke Dream change her priorities. After awakening, she values their shared home more than the pursuit of strength and cannot accept treating their marriage as meaningless 522. As a mother, she eventually sets aside her decision to conceal Wu Nian's father, recognizing that her own wishes should not deny her son a relationship with him 826.

As empress, she accepts responsibilities that conflict with her private desires. Her orderly government earns public and court support, yet she remains personally reluctant to attack her homeland or oppose Zhuge Xiang 654 825.

Abilities & Skills

Combat-Based Cultivation

Wu Zhao's talent develops through intense fighting and danger rather than prolonged conventional practice 162 400.

• Advances by challenging opponents above her cultivation rank 400.
• Possesses sharp combat intuition and adapts quickly to unexpected techniques 164.
• Can threaten higher-realm cultivators through spear techniques, Weapon Intent, and equipment; at the peak of Return to Simplicity, she matches Tian Lingshan despite the latter's access to heaven-and-earth power 164 279.

Overlord Spear and Spear Intent

Her title refers to the overwhelming, indomitable character of her spear arts 279.

• Early mastery: Possesses slightly more than one percent Spear Intent during her first duel with Zhuge Xiang, limited by her soul and spiritual force 163.
• Weapon suppression: Her later Spear Intent makes surrounding spears resonate in submission. Even Zhang Kuang's spear struggles against its pressure despite his own Spear Intent 279.
• Fighting style: Relies on relentless force capable of breaking through intricate techniques rather than matching them in finesse 279.

Black Demon Flood Dragon Seal

Wu Zhao can loosen the seal placed by her parents to borrow the Black Demon Flood Dragon's Snake King aura and trace of Dragon King power 293.

• Temporarily raises her cultivation to Divine Ability Stage level two during the Hairy Zombie battle 293.
• Produces a horned, black-scaled transformation and a surge of monster qi 293.
• Limit: Each use further loosens the seal and exposes her to the creature's powerful divine sense. She therefore reserves it for emergencies 293.
• Originally intended to reveal this trump card at the Dragon Phoenix Ranking 292.

National Destiny

Wu Zhao obtains the combined destinies of six fallen nations from their gathered obsessions in the Hundred Emperors Tomb 476 538.

• Protection: Manifests a dragon-shaped phantom and a defense associated with the laws of heaven and earth 471.
• Protecting allies: Shields the Phoenix Tree Divine Wood against Ming Yan's attacks 472.
• Cultivation: Accelerates her advancement, eventually helping her reach the Great Accomplishment Stage 624 826.
• Imperial empowerment: Great Tang's National Destiny merges with the Six Nations' remnants when the Heavenly Dao chooses her as ruler 653.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

Coiled Dragon Spear

A One-Star Treasure Artifact that Zhuge Xiang restores from near-breaking condition 285.

Artifact statistics are given in 285.

• Later damage: The Two-Star Hairy Zombie cracks the spear in its jaws 295.
• Early spear ability — Wind Blade Dance: Her damaged treasure spear stores wind-attribute vital essence for three days, then releases nine wind blades. Its attack rivals a tenth-layer Return to Simplicity cultivator; Zhuge Xiang nevertheless shatters it with Vast Sword Qi 163.

Other Equipment

• Overlord Dragon Spear: A golden, Five-Star Lingbao spear found in King Fenghe's treasury. While wielding it at the Golden Core Stage, Wu Zhao displays an aura described as more intense than that of Void Returning experts 624.
• Matching bracelets: Four-Star treasure artifacts that immobilize a target for three seconds. Their defense is nearly negligible, but she retains them for this effect; Zhuge Xiang counters it with the Chain of the True King 163 164.
• Artifact boots: Shake the ground within thirty meters, allowing her to distinguish Zhuge Xiang's real body from his movement afterimages 163.
• Defensive armor: Supports her Innate Protective Qi, though Zhuge Xiang's Blood Thunder Slash breaks her protection and marks the armor 163 164.
• Blood Drinking True King Chain — borrowed: Lent by Zhuge Xiang during the Hundred Emperors Pagoda trials. Its life-steal effect helps her survive prolonged melee battles 400.

Relationships

• Zhuge Xiang — Rival, companion, lover, and father of her child. Their shared ten-year marriage inside an illusion creates genuine affection, but his initial rejection and their later political obligations repeatedly separate them 165 400 521 522 654 827.
• Wu Nian — Her only son and Great Tang's crown prince. His biological father is Zhuge Xiang, although Great Tang's subjects believe him to be Li Zhi's child. Wu Zhao gives him her surname rather than Li 826 827.
• Li Zhi — Husband in name only. She appreciates his character but does not return his romantic love. He knowingly offers a sham marriage to protect her and her unborn child; she later risks her life trying to save him 529 650 652.
• Free and Unfettered Duke and Duchess — Her grandparents, also called the Carefree Old Couple. They are confident in her ability, and the Duke intervenes to stop her reflected spear strike from hitting her 162 165 293.
• Parents — Deceased rogue cultivators who sealed the Black Demon Flood Dragon inside her during their fatal confrontation with it 293.
• Tian Lingshan — Sparring opponent at Sword Peak. Their contrasting styles—Wu Zhao's force and Tian Lingshan's finesse—produce an evenly matched duel 279.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rivalry with Zhuge Xiang

Wu Zhao first challenges Zhuge Xiang over possession of the captured Situ Zhaixing. Their duel escalates through Weapon Intent, artifact abilities, and attacks powerful enough to threaten Return to Simplicity cultivators. Zhuge Xiang wins by reflecting her final spear attack with Thorn Armor, forcing her grandfather to intercept it. Wu Zhao admits defeat and promises a rematch, while Zhuge Xiang refuses the Duke's matchmaking proposal 162 163 164 165.

At the Sword Peak banquet, she interrupts Tian Lingshan's challenge to Zhuge Xiang and fights her to a draw over half a shichen. Afterward, she announces her intention to defeat Zhuge Xiang honorably at the Dragon Phoenix Ranking 279.

Spear Repair and the Hairy Zombies

After drinking with Zhuge Xiang and Pei Yingxiao, Wu Zhao asks Zhuge Xiang to repair her badly damaged Coiled Dragon Spear. She offers five low-grade spirit stones and insists on accompanying him until she can repay the work 285.

Their journey leads to the Hairy Zombie confrontation, where she refuses to abandon him and reveals her Flood Dragon transformation. Together they kill four One-Star Hairy Zombies and injure the Two-Star leader, but the latter damages her spear and grievously wounds her 292 293 295.

Hundred Emperors Pagoda

Wu Zhao follows Zhuge Xiang into the Hundred Emperors Pagoda after being struck through its entrance by the Ascending Heaven Divine Tree. Inside, they cannot mobilize heaven-and-earth yuan qi and must fight successive groups of puppets matching their cultivation 399.

As exhaustion undermines her confidence, Zhuge Xiang urges her to keep fighting and lends her the Blood Drinking True King Chain. His willingness to surrender such an important survival tool deepens her feelings for him. They reach the fiftieth floor after approximately ten days 400.

Great Tang and the Heaven-Piercing Tower

Wu Zhao reunites with Zhuge Xiang while rescuing Li Zhi outside Yongling City. She subsequently enters the Heaven-Piercing Tower with their group and becomes trapped when its entrance closes 448 453.

During the fighting against Ming Yan, her National Destiny protects the Phoenix Tree Divine Wood. Afterward, the emperor questions her about the power and invites her into the Hall of Honored Guests 472 476 482.

Nanke Dream and Pregnancy

Illusionary Nether King traps Wu Zhao and Zhuge Xiang in a shared illusion with their memories sealed. They fall in love, marry, and anticipate a child. Within the dream, Wu Zhao gives up cultivation for their home, then cuts her throat when her grandparents oppose the marriage 521.

They awaken with memories of ten years together. Zhuge Xiang initially dismisses their marriage as an illusion; Wu Zhao rejects his offer of ordinary friendship and leaves heartbroken. After she collapses during her flight, an old man discovers that she is pregnant 522.

She spends three months at King Fenghe's Mansion and resolves to raise Zhuge Xiang's child. Li Zhi offers a marriage in name only to shield mother and child from stigma. She accepts for the child's sake, despite feeling that the arrangement is unfair to him 529.

The wedding invitation forces Zhuge Xiang to recognize that his love is real. He storms the mansion and confesses, but Wu Zhao initially refuses him because of his earlier rejection and his other women. Her resolve begins to soften when he insists on taking her away; by their later reunion, they openly express affection again 530 532 533 624.

Accession to the Throne

Wu Zhao's National Destiny makes her marriage politically consequential: the emperor cites it among his grounds for accusing King Fenghe of rebellion 538.

At the Ascension Platform, she breaks through Ying Qianshan's suppression to defend Li Zhi. She wounds the deposed emperor but cannot prevent him from killing Li Zhi with the Son of Heaven Sword 650 651.

The Heavenly Dao then chooses Wu Zhao as Great Tang's ruler. Her publicly recognized marriage places her within the imperial family, and officials acknowledge that no Heavenly Dao rule bars a woman from ascending. She immediately orders the recovery of the victims' bodies, repairs to the palace, proclamation of her accession, and submission of state affairs for review 653.

Her new duties prevent her from accepting Zhuge Xiang's proposal to retire together. She warns that war between Great Tang and Great Qin will force him to confront his loyalties to her and the Asura Sect 654.

Reign and Family Reunion

Wu Zhao gives birth to a son, later identified as Wu Nian, Great Tang's crown prince 704 826. Her government wins the confidence of officials and subjects and is described as outperforming the previous emperor's administration 825.

When Great Song and Great Ming propose dividing Great Qin, she agrees to join but demands at least five of its thirteen commanderies. Privately, she resists attacking her homeland, yet recognizes that Great Tang's widespread desire for revenge constrains her decision 825.

Wu Nian's questions about his father finally persuade her to bring him to Futuo Mountain. Zhuge Xiang learns that the boy is his son, and the family reunites. Wu Zhao and Zhuge Xiang renew their intimacy, but she departs the following morning while Wu Nian remains with his father for several days 826 827 828.

Notable Quotes

“I, Wu Zhao, lost today's duel. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will certainly test skills with you again.” 165

“Zhuge Xiang! Must be defeated by me! Since you want to defeat him, you have to defeat me first!” 279

“Although I decided to draw a clear line with him and not let him know the truth, it is only human nature for a son to miss his father. I cannot use my own decision to restrict him.” 826