Empress

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Empress (女帝)
Alias(es)	Northern Liang Empress; Red-clothed Woman; Twin Demon 229 249
Species/Race	Twin Demon; her existence is divided between a red-clothed aspect and an identical black-clothed aspect 229 249
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Northern Liang; Dao Palace; Thirty-Six Heavens Daoist sect 228 230
Occupation/Role	Founding sovereign of Northern Liang; Daoist leader and mentor 216 230
Status	Alive; last seen amid the collapse of Guiyuan City after opening the passage to the Ghost Ship 250
First Appearance	Chapter 216: I Want to Be a Demon, Becoming a Demon!!! 216

Background

At the age of twenty, the Empress personally subdued Northern Liang's sixteen kingdoms, unified the region, and ascended the throne without inheriting it through bloodline. Under her rule, Northern Liang transformed from nomadic tribes into a powerful, developed dynasty focused on agriculture and industry. Her conquests expanded its territory to more than ten times that of Great Gan. 216

Northern Liang reveres her as an absolute ruler: every city and household offers her worship, and her prestige is described as unmatched. Though she has ruled for more than a century, she retains the appearance of a woman in her early twenties. 216 228

At some point after visiting the Ghost Ship, the Empress became infected and turned into a Twin Demon. Her body came to contain two identical aspects: the red-clothed persona who held control for over a century, and the black-clothed woman who claims to be the original Empress. Their control over the shared body is tied to a supernatural game of Go. 229 249 250

Jiang Hongyue once approached the Empress with information about the Setting Sun Mirror and the Twin Cities. In exchange, the Empress agreed to a deal concerning the Ghost Ship and Xiao Bei. 216 Xiao Bei was later revealed to be a clay figurine she had created and infused with a wisp of the Ghost Ship's power; his death caused the Twin Demon's aura within Empress Dowager Xiao to resurface violently. 235

Appearance

The Empress normally manifests as a beautiful young woman with the bearing and authority of a sovereign, despite being over a century old. 228 229

• Red-clothed aspect — Wears a form-fitting crimson brocade robe, a red or golden hairpin, and embroidered shoes. Her presence is elegant, aloof, and commanding. 229 231
• Black-clothed aspect — Has an identical appearance but wears black robes and a black hairpin; her aura is markedly colder and more chilling. 229
• Historical attire — Was seen in a dark-red outfit resembling a qipao when Jiang Hongyue met her in Northern Liang. 216

Personality

The Empress is patient, calculating, and intensely self-reliant. She can be approachable in conversation, avoids the formal imperial “zhen,” and treats Bai Yujing with the warmth of a former mentor. 230 She also promotes gender equality in Northern Liang, while recognizing that social freedom depends on public safety and power. 231

Her long rule and Twin Demon nature have also made her deeply distrustful. She admits that she trusts no one but herself, and she was willing to sacrifice Chen Mo and Bai Yujing inside the Setting Sun Mirror's world in order to obtain the Yin-Yang Mirror. 245

In crisis, she remains composed and resilient. Even while besieged by increasingly powerful Flame Demons for months, she did not reveal weakness until the appearance of the Flame Demon King forced her to use her final scheme. 248 249

Abilities & Skills

Ascended Cultivation

The Empress is an Ascended being whose strength surpasses conventional Martial Arts Grandmasters. Bai Yujing states that the Twin Demon's thirty-six stages of Corpse Decomposition Ascension were learned from her. 228

• Can project a red domain capable of instantaneously carrying herself and others across hundreds of miles. 241
• Can repel dozens of Flame Demons with red light and manifest enormous red hands to force them back into magma fissures. 248
• Her authority and cultivation are considered sufficient to conquer Great Gan if she chooses. 228

Dao Tree Ascension Guidance

The Empress can invoke the Dao Tree's power to guide others through ascension.

• Oversaw Chen Mo and Bai Yujing's wedding as the final stage of the Twin Cultivation Magic. 233
• Channeled the Dao Tree's ascension power into both of them, enabling communion with heaven, earth, and the Ghost Ship. 233
• Helped Bai Yujing recast her Sword Heart and supported Chen Mo's ascent to immortality. 230 233

Twin Demon and Chess Contract

The Empress's divided nature is governed by a supernatural chess arrangement with her black-clothed counterpart.

• A game of Go determines control of the Twin Demon, with the winner supposedly setting the rules. 249
• The red-clothed aspect had suppressed the black-clothed woman for more than a century. 249 250
• She deliberately lost a game to manipulate the black-clothed woman into taking control, using the outcome to open the passage to the Ghost Ship. 249 250

Puppetry

The Empress possesses wooden puppets capable of transforming into lifelike servants or into a chessboard. 230 248

Artifacts and Implements

• Dao Tree — A colossal tree associated with the Thirty-Six Heavens and physical-and-spiritual ascension; the Empress can channel its power. 228 233
• Wooden Puppet — Can become a tea-serving humanoid puppet or transform into a chessboard. 230 248
• Yin-Yang Mirror — The completed form of the Red Moon Mirror and Setting Sun Mirror. The Empress engineered its appearance in Guiyuan City and seized it, though it had not yet recognized her as its master. 245 246

Relationships

• Chen Mo — Initially calls him “one of us” and agrees to protect and guide him in return for his help exploring the Ghost Ship. She later betrays him by using him as part of her Yin-Yang Mirror scheme; Chen Mo responds by trapping her in Guiyuan City and declaring his intent to kill her. 229 230 245 246
• Bai Yujing — Former disciple or protégée; Bai Yujing credits the Empress's teachings for her Daoist magic and swordsmanship. The Empress helps restore Bai Yujing's Sword Heart, but Bai Yujing later stands with Chen Mo against her. 230 233 247
• Jiang Hongyue — Former Empress of Great Gan who bargained with the Northern Liang Empress using knowledge of the Setting Sun Mirror and Twin Cities. 216
• Black-clothed Woman — Her identical counterpart and the claimed original Empress. The red-clothed aspect suppresses and manipulates her through their chess contract. 229 249 250
• Xiao Bei — A clay figurine created by the Empress and infused with Ghost Ship power; his death was designed to destabilize Empress Dowager Xiao's refined Twin Demon aura. 235
• Empress Dowager Xiao — Indirect adversary. The Empress's Xiao Bei stratagem forces Xiao Nanfeng into seclusion and disrupts her control over the Twin Demon. 235 236

Story Role / Major Arcs

Meeting Chen Mo and Bai Yujing

Chen Mo and Bai Yujing climb the Dao Returning Tree to the thirty-sixth level, where the Empress receives them in the Dao Palace. She greets Chen Mo as “one of us,” a remark that immediately unsettles Bai Yujing. 229

Chen Mo requests her protection, instruction, and aid in restoring Bai Yujing's Sword Heart. The Empress accepts on the condition that Chen Mo accompany her to the Ghost Ship. 230

Ascension Ceremony

The Empress oversees Chen Mo and Bai Yujing's Twin Cultivation Magic, officiates their wedding, and channels the Dao Tree's power through the ceremony. Their ascension makes Chen Mo a Corpse Decomposition Immortal and enables Bai Yujing to rebuild her Sword Heart. 232 233

Guiyuan City Betrayal

The Empress brings Chen Mo and Bai Yujing to Guiyuan City under the stated goal of finding the Setting Sun Mirror and safely confronting the Ghost Ship. Her actual plan is to use the Red Moon Mirror inside Chen Mo to force the creation of the Yin-Yang Mirror. 241 243 245

Believing Chen Mo and Bai Yujing dead after a month in the Mirror World, she takes the newly formed Yin-Yang Mirror. They reveal that they survived by using avatars, leaving the Empress trapped in the altered Guiyuan City. 245 246

Opening the Ghost Ship Passage

As Guiyuan City collapses under Flame Demon attacks, the Empress plays Go against her black-clothed counterpart. She deliberately loses, convincing the other woman to seize control of their body. 248 249

The loss is another manipulation: rather than freeing the black-clothed woman, it opens the passage to the Ghost Ship. Guiyuan City collapses into magma, and countless demons are released. 250

Notable Quotes

“One of us, no need to be so formal.” — to Chen Mo 229

“I don't trust Chen Mo. No, I don't trust anyone but myself.” 245

“You thought I won to control you. But you're wrong. I don't need to control you through the chessboard; I can crush you directly.” 250