Shen Qingzhu

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Shen Qingzhu (沈青竹)
Alias(es)	Cool Bro; Brother Shen; Brother Zhuai; Grand Leader
Species/Race	Human; later a Six-Winged Angel/Sovereign 1590 1594
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Night Watchmen; Nightfall Squad; formerly embedded within the Believers; Grand Leader of the Black Killer Group
Occupation/Role	Night Watchman, undercover operative, Black Killer Group leader, later Lin Qiye's adjutant 1597
Status	Missing 2003
First Appearance	Chapter 80

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Sequence 068, [Qi Min]	92	Identifies his Forbidden Zone as Sequence 068; it grants control over air pressure and vacuum.
Immeasurable realm	948	Had broken through before entering the “Human Circle.”
Four-winged vessel of the Hell Origin	1147 1148	Absorbed the Hell Origin through the Black Crystal, developed black wings, and began resisting the Origin's attempts to overwrite his identity.
Six-Winged Angel / Sovereign	1590 1594 1598	Fully fused with the Hell Origin after absorbing Lucifer's power. His six gray wings emit an aura described as Lord God-level.

Background & History

Shen Qingzhu was abandoned as an infant during a rainstorm. A monk named Su Ming rescued him, wrote “Shen Qingzhu” on the infant's towel, and left him at Hanshan Orphanage. Director Liu later stated that he had found Shen by the river roughly twenty years earlier. 1159 1718

At Hanshan, Shen became an older-brother figure to the other children. As a student, he defended Li Jia and Li Liang from extortionists, fighting more than a dozen local thugs and sending four to the hospital. The incident led to his expulsion and caused him to miss the college entrance examinations. 100 101

He also rescued Wu Quan from human traffickers after years of abuse and helped guide the traumatized child back toward a normal life. Wu Quan came to regard Shen as his entire world. 1169 1170 Shen and Wu Quan later rescued everyone from a fire at Hanshan Orphanage. 1162

Appearance

Shen Qingzhu usually presents himself with an intimidating, restrained demeanor. His attire changes with his role, from a Night Watchman crimson cloak to the ceremonial clothing of the Black Killer Group's Grand Leader.

• Wore a white fox mask while acting within the Believers and assassinating Baili Xin. 447
• Wore the Black Killer Group's Flowing Cloud Haori as Grand Leader. 653 735
• Commonly carries a Straight Saber and is frequently depicted with a cigarette. 1145 1598
• Developed four pitch-black wings after bonding with the Hell Origin, later becoming six gray wings after fully merging with it. 1147 1590

Personality

Shen initially cultivates the image of a ruthless, arrogant troublemaker because he believes that “people bully the weak and fear the strong.” Beneath that deliberately abrasive exterior, he is fiercely protective of people he considers his own. He saved Li Jia and Li Liang at considerable personal cost, carried the injured Deng Wei during training, and returned to defend him despite knowing it would result in elimination. 100 101

He is proud, blunt, and quick-tempered, with little patience for authority he does not respect. Instructor Hong identified his explosive temper and inability to fully control his emotions as his greatest weakness. 185 Shen nevertheless possesses exceptional discipline under pressure: he plans carefully, recognizes unwinnable situations, and retreats rather than make pointless sacrifices. 743

His fear of becoming a burden to his more gifted teammates develops into severe guilt and self-reproach, particularly after being unable to join Lin Qiye's battle at the Pamir Plateau. 1091 1118 This vulnerability made him susceptible to the Hell Origin's whispers, but he resisted its control by clinging to his own identity. 1148

Abilities & Skills

[Qi Min]

Sequence 068 [Qi Min] gives Shen control over surrounding air, allowing him to manipulate pressure, immobilize targets, and create lethal vacuum environments. 80 92

• Solidifies air into a barrier capable of stopping thrown blades. 80
• Compresses air around opponents and removes air to form vacuum domains. 191 192
• Exploits enemies' existing wounds: reduced external pressure can turn otherwise survivable injuries into fatal vascular damage. 192
• Can pair air manipulation with ring-triggered flames and fire-based attacks. 80 554
• A vacuum is dangerous to Shen as well; after killing an opponent inside one, he collapsed from oxygen deprivation. 192

Soul Severing Blade

Shen carries and employs the Soul Severing Blade, a weapon capable of directly destroying a target's soul.

• Used it to kill Baili Xin while disguised in a white fox mask. 447
• Used deception, language knowledge, and the blade to destroy a red-robed Oracle Envoy's soul. 657
• The target's body may still retain autonomous defenses after its soul is destroyed, as demonstrated by the Oracle Envoy's self-destruct mechanism. 657

Hell Origin Fusion

After physically merging with the Hell Origin, Shen became an angelic being with vastly greater power but endured constant pressure from the Origin's malicious will. 1147 1148

• Regenerated after fatal injuries and acquired black wings during the initial fusion. 1138 1147
• Resisted the voices urging him to surrender his identity and repeatedly affirmed that he would remain Shen Qingzhu. 1148
• Later absorbed Lucifer's power, completed his fusion with the Hell Origin, and annihilated Lucifer. 1590
• Possesses six gray wings and Sovereign-class physical combat power. 1594 1599
• Fought alongside Hu Jia and Yurina Takishiro to hold back four Lovecraftian Deities during a retreat. 1815

Tactical Combat & Undercover Tradecraft

Shen is an adaptive fighter and infiltrator who combines battlefield analysis with a willingness to gamble on high-risk plans.

• Used a Scroll of Sealing to protect his wounds from pressure differences before expanding a vacuum domain around a stronger opponent. 192
• Accepted the Whisperer's Soul Contract while secretly using the Heaven Returning Jade to prevent the Whisperer's control. 210
• Left coded clues for Baili Pangpang through altered potato-chip purchases, a hidden note, and his ring while under surveillance by the Believers. 490 491
• Avoided surveillance so effectively during his escape through Japan that nearby cameras recorded no trace of him. 628
• Led the Black Killer Group through personal trust rather than shared language, publicly revealing his identity to its members in Mandarin. 735

Equipment & Items

• Straight Saber — Shen's standard close-combat weapon. 208 1145
• Soul Severing Blade — a soul-destroying weapon used against Baili Xin and an Oracle Envoy. 447 657
• Scroll of Sealing — seals wounds and isolates Shen's internal air pressure from the surrounding vacuum. 192
• Heaven Returning Jade — used to save Shen's life and prevent the Whisperer's Soul Contract from controlling him. 195 210
• [Source Dao Jade] — Baili Pangpang states that it gives Shen nine chances at revival. 1148
• White fox mask — worn during his Believers operation against Baili Xin. 447
• Flowing Cloud Haori — attire symbolizing his status as Grand Leader of the Black Killer Group. 653 735

Relationships

• Lin Qiye — Teammate, friend, and fellow Nightfall member. Lin defended Shen from pursuit after Baili Xin's death, later helped him overcome his despair in Hell, and appointed him as an adjutant in the Special Operations Department. 447 1145 1597
• Baili Pangpang — Close friend who saved Shen with the Heaven Returning Jade. Shen repaid that debt by killing Baili Xin, then later trusted Pangpang to recognize his covert clues. 195 447 491
• Deng Wei — Loyal trainee and admirer. Shen carried him after he injured his ankle, initially left him behind, then returned to protect him from drones. 100
• Li Jia and Li Liang — Younger schoolmates Shen protected from extortionists, an act that cost him his education. 100 101
• Wu Quan — Orphanage brother whom Shen rescued from traffickers and personally rehabilitated. Wu Quan later died after following Shen into danger, leaving Shen devastated. 1170 1994
• The Ninth Seat — Senior Believer who recognized Shen's potential and encouraged him to change the Believers rather than become consumed by its culture. 451
• The Whisperer — Leader of the Believers who revived Shen and imposed a Soul Contract; Shen secretly blocked its control and operated under the organization as the Fifteenth Seat. 210 331
• Black Killer Group — Shen's yakuza subordinates in Japan. He risked himself to protect them and sought one thousand Utopia places for their survival. 657 736

Story Role & Major Arcs

• Training Camp — Introduced as a feared but misunderstood recruit. His decision to defend Deng Wei reveals the compassion behind his “ruthless” persona. 100 101
• Believers Infiltration — After his apparent death, Shen enters the Believers, circumvents the Whisperer's Soul Contract, rises to Fifteenth Seat, and covertly communicates with his former comrades. 210 331 491
• Baili Xin Assassination — Appears in a white fox mask, kills Baili Xin with the Soul Severing Blade, burns the body, and escapes while Lin Qiye and Baili Pangpang prevent Zuo Qing from pursuing him. 447
• Japan and the Black Killer Group — Becomes the Black Killer Group's Grand Leader, protects its members from Oracle Envoys, and risks his life to secure their access to Utopia. 657 735 736
• Hell Origin — Dies and revives in Hell, merges with the Hell Origin to save his companions, and struggles against its corruption rather than surrendering his sense of self. 1137 1138 1147 1148
• Return as a Six-Winged Angel — Defeats Lucifer, completes his fusion with the Hell Origin, returns to Great Xia, and resumes fighting beside Nightfall. 1590 1596
• Wu Quan's Death and Disappearance — Finds Wu Quan dead beside the Eastern Emperor Bell and blames himself for bringing him into danger. Shen is later reported missing. 1994 2003

Notable Quotes

“The biggest thing I'm not afraid of on this journey is risk.” 736

“I will always be Shen Qingzhu!!” 1148