Zhao Xuanji

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhao Xuanji (赵玄机)
Alias(es)	Princess Xuanji; Emperor Xuanji Shengwu 402 598
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Dagan Zhao Clan; Gan Army; allied forces of the Cleanse the Ruler's Side campaign; later the Dagan imperial throne 447 578 598
Occupation/Role	Dagan princess, Gan Army commander, regent, and later Empress of Dagan 447 578 598
Status	Alive; crowned as Dagan's first Empress 598
First Appearance	Chapter 402

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Imperial Power awakened	445	Manifested Dagan royal Dragon Qi as golden light and five-clawed dragons; struck down the Green Lotus Sect's Heaven Gazing Hǒu.
Mortal Transformation Realm threshold (weapon-enhanced)	446	The Heavenly Mandate Imperial Sword raised her aura from the Innate Realm to the Mortal Transformation threshold, allowing her to overpower the Red-haired Hǒu.
Mortal Transformation Realm	464	Released her concealed cultivation and shattered her realm's shackles as the Nine True Saint Venerable approached the Gan Army camp.

Background / History

Youzhou campaign

Zhao Xuanji led the Gan Army in Youzhou, where she relied on divine weapons from the Dagan treasury to compensate for the dangers facing her force. She openly acknowledged that her personal cultivation alone was insufficient for the campaign. 408

During the battle against the Green Lotus Sect, she awakened her Imperial Power and entered the field bathed in Dragon Qi. With the Heavenly Mandate Imperial Sword, she defeated the Red-haired Hǒu and rallied the Gan Army into routing the sect's followers. Rather than immediately pursue, she ordered her army to rest for a day before advancing on Fuhu Mountain. 445 447

Li Xian later informed her that she was one of the pieces in his larger plan. Zhao Xuanji accepted the reality quickly, then sought to secure a lasting political connection by proposing that she and Li Xian have a child. 457 459

When the Green Lotus Sect launched a night assault, Zhao Xuanji stopped concealing her strength and broke through into the Mortal Transformation Realm. Armed with the Heavenly Mandate Imperial Sword, Ancient Shield, Glazed Heart-Purifying Jade, and Purple Crown, she led the Gan Army into battle. 461 464

Break with the imperial court

An imperial order later recalled Zhao Xuanji to Songzhou to suppress her brother Zhao Xuanzhong's rebellion. The order's inclusion of Li Mingzhe's name made her realize that Emperor Zhao Mu was moving against Li Xian's family as well. 516 517

Zhao Xuanji attempted to enter the Imperial City with Li Mingzhe and Cui Zhenzhu, expecting support from her former subordinate Lü Shangguang. Instead, he presented an imperial decree ordering her arrest. She fought her way past him, but Eunuch Qin—a Saint Ascension Realm expert—forced the group to flee. 556 558

Li Xian had intended the failed visit to make Zhao Xuanji recognize the Martial God Sect's hostility and drive her into open rebellion, thereby weakening Dagan's fortune. 563 At Xuanqing Sect, Zhao Xuanji abandoned the hope of a simple palace intervention and resolved to borrow troops under the banner of “Cleanse the Ruler's Side.” 564

March on the Imperial City

With support from Li Xian, the Yuan Family, and forces from several provinces, Zhao Xuanji assembled an allied army of 550,000 and assumed undisputed command. 578 Her advance captured cities in Central Prefecture and ultimately breached Yutong Pass. 580 585

At Yutong Pass, she learned that Crown Prince Zhao Xuanshen—her elder brother—had long ago severed his own meridians to survive Zhao Mu's killing intent. After his death, Zhao Xuanji ordered his proper burial and vowed to kill her father. 585

Following the fall of the Imperial City and Zhao Mu's suicide, Zhao Xuanji first governed as Regent. She was formally enthroned the following year as Dagan's first Empress, bearing the full title Emperor Xuanji Shengwu. 598

Appearance

Zhao Xuanji is a notably tall and imposing woman whose royal bearing is reinforced by her armor and lack of cosmetics. Her beauty is described as refined and jade-like, while her straight, sword-shaped brows give her a distinctly resolute and heroic presence. 402

• Tall stature and powerful posture. 402
• Straight brows likened to sharp sword blades. 402
• Commonly appears in armor rather than formal court dress. 402
• Her Imperial Power manifests as golden radiance and circling five-clawed golden dragons. 445

Personality

Zhao Xuanji is direct, ambitious, and politically pragmatic. She treats even marriage and childbirth as potential instruments for securing power, proposing a child with Li Xian to bind his strength to her family and future position. 459 461

She is difficult to intimidate. When Li Xian threatened her with the Soul-Bewildering Soul-Snatching Great Method, she remained composed, confident in the protective treasures of the Dagan Zhao Clan. 460 461 She also refuses vague assurances when soldiers' lives are at stake, rejecting an uncertain future favor from Li Xian as insufficient payment for cooperation in Youzhou. 461

Her ruthlessness exists alongside genuine attachment to her siblings. She sought to understand Zhao Xuanzhong's situation rather than simply condemn him, and Zhao Xuanshen's death hardened her resolve against Zhao Mu. 536 585 After being betrayed at the palace gate, she suppressed her anger and focused on escape rather than losing herself in argument. 558

Abilities & Skills

Imperial Power

Zhao Xuanji can awaken the Dragon Qi of the Dagan royal bloodline, manifesting an overwhelming golden aura associated with imperial authority. 445

• Surrounds herself with golden light and five-clawed golden dragons. 445
• Used a powerful saber technique under Imperial Power to kill the Heaven Gazing Hǒu. 445
• Her bloodline resonates with Dagan's royal divine weapons. 464

Martial Cultivation

Zhao Xuanji was an Innate Realm martial artist before breaking into the Mortal Transformation Realm during the Youzhou campaign. 446 464

• Concealed her true cultivation until the Gan Army faced the Nine True Saint Venerable. 464
• Retained the ability to command and fight despite severe injuries sustained during the battle around Fuhu Mountain. 471
• Uses high speed and explosive movement to engage much larger opponents at close range. 549

Swordsmanship

Her combat style with the Heavenly Mandate Imperial Sword is fast, mobile, and directed at vital points. 446

• Transforms into a streak of golden light while circling opponents. 446
• Wounded the Red-haired Hǒu repeatedly with sword qi before killing it. 446
• Uses the sword's Dragon Qi-enhanced power against evil entities. 446 448

Military Command

Zhao Xuanji is an experienced battlefield commander capable of directing both regular troops and a multi-faction alliance. 447 578

• Ordered the Gan Army to rest and regroup after routing the Green Lotus Sect. 447
• Inspired the Gan Army to charge during the Green Lotus Sect's night raid. 464
• Commanded the 550,000-strong allied army marching on Central Prefecture. 578

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Heavenly Mandate Imperial Sword — A golden Dagan divine weapon carrying Dragon Qi. It temporarily raised Zhao Xuanji to the threshold of the Mortal Transformation Realm and enabled her victory over the Red-haired Hǒu. 446
• Glazed Heart-Purifying Jade — A Zhao Family jade pendant that clears wicked thoughts and evil intent; it blocked Li Xian's Soul-Bewildering Soul-Snatching Great Method. 461
• Ancient Shield — A protective divine artifact used alongside her sword during the battle against the Green Lotus Sect. 464
• Purple Crown — A headpiece that releases streams of purple light and resonates with her bloodline and other artifacts. 464
• War armor — Protective armor that allowed her to endure a strike capable of killing an ordinary Innate Realm cultivator without injury. 549

Relationships

• Li Xian / Li Dragon King — Initially a powerful but manipulative ally who treated her as a pawn in his plan against Dagan. Their political alliance became a personal relationship; Zhao Xuanji later gave birth to his son, Li Gan. 457 539 598
• Zhao Mu — Her father and the Emperor of Dagan. His attempt to arrest and kill her drove Zhao Xuanji into rebellion; he ultimately died by suicide after the Imperial City's fall. 558 598
• Zhao Xuanshen — Her elder brother and the Crown Prince. His death at Yutong Pass, following years of self-inflicted meridian damage to evade Zhao Mu's suspicion, intensified her resolve to overthrow their father. 585
• Zhao Xuanzhong — Her younger brother, whose rebellion in Songzhou triggered the imperial order recalling Zhao Xuanji from Youzhou. 516 536
• Li Mingzhe — Li Xian's elder brother and Zhao Xuanji's political adviser. He escaped the Imperial City with her and helped shape the gradual strategy for her ascension. 540 558
• Cui Zhenzhu — Daughter of Prime Minister Cui Shouzhi and a key ally. She rescued Zhao Xuanji during a Divine Tree Sect ambush and later accompanied her toward the Imperial City. 551 558
• Yuan Fengnan — A political rival for Li Xian's affection and prospective marital ties. Zhao Xuanji disliked the Yuan Family's proposal to marry Yuan Fengnan to Li Xian. 459 574

Notable Quotes

“All soldiers of the Gan Army, follow me into battle!!!” 464

“Execute the treacherous ministers, Cleanse the Ruler's Side!!” 578