Jiang Yun

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Jiang Yun (姜云)
Alias(es)	Zeng Yunfan; impersonated the Red Lotus Cult Leader
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Imperial Guards; Sanqing Temple; Renyi Academy; Tongyou Guard
Occupation/Role	Daoist cultivator; Commander of the Imperial Guards; Marquis Weinan; Libationer of Renyi Academy
Status	Alive; publicly branded a rebel and living under the alias Zeng Yunfan as of his last appearance 746 751 754
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Celestial Master (previous life)	1	Learned Daoist Arts after being taken from a psychiatric hospital by Daoists; became a Celestial Master and wore the purple robe at age twenty-three before dying in a traffic accident.
Ninth Rank Dao Entry Realm	46	Reached the Dao Gate’s Ninth Rank after cultivating with the Five Elements Formation.
Peak Eighth Rank Spell Casting Realm	47	Advanced from introductory Ninth Rank to the peak of Eighth Rank in five days, with no apparent bottleneck.
Peak Seventh Rank Grain Abstinence Realm	90	Refined gold through the Five Elements Formation for five days to reach the realm’s peak.
Sixth Rank Inner Core Realm	114	Formed an Inner Core and entered Sixth Rank.
Fifth Rank Shouyi Realm	221	Confirmed by Linglong during the Western Shu mission.
Third Rank Celestial Master Realm — spiritual sense	231	His spiritual sense already matched a Third Rank Celestial Master, allowing him to overwhelm True Man Wuyue despite his lower physical cultivation.
Fourth Rank True Man Realm	246 251	Broke through after cultivating with one hundred catties of gold; gained the ability to use red talismans.
Third Rank Celestial Master Realm	297	Successfully returned to Third Rank and battled the demonic dragon Ao Qing.
Second Rank True Monarch Realm	487	Cast the Seventh Edict against Chang Yujian, exhausting all Magic Power despite his substantial Second Rank reserves.
First Rank Dao Immortal Realm	690 697	Eliminated his Extreme Yin during the breakthrough process; later wielded greatly strengthened Samadhi True Fire as a First Rank cultivator.

Background / History

Jiang Yun was born with the ability to see ghosts. After seeing his deceased grandmother at age five, he was treated as mentally ill, subjected to electroshock at a psychiatric hospital, and gradually abandoned by his parents after his younger brother was born. A group of Daoists later recognized his sight as talent for Daoist cultivation, forcibly removed him from the hospital, and trained him in Daoist Arts. He became a Celestial Master at twenty-three, only to die when a mud truck ran a red light. 1

He transmigrated into the body of another Jiang Yun: a poor Nanzhou Prefecture Tong Sheng whose parents had died, leaving his younger sister Jiang Qiaoqiao to support them through sewing and laundry work. The original body’s owner had exploited Qiaoqiao while refusing to work; Jiang Yun immediately resolved to repay their twenty-tael debt and protect her. 1

To settle the debt owed to Peng San, Wu Chenhu arranged for Jiang Yun to marry into the Huang family as a live-in son-in-law. At Huang Manor, Jiang Yun discovered that the wedding banquet’s guests were paper figures, exposing the supernatural danger behind the arrangement. 1

Personality

Jiang Yun is observant, cautious, and highly adaptable. He habitually considers worst-case scenarios, identifies the practical limits of an opponent’s techniques, and prefers retreating or gathering leverage over entering an unwinnable fight. 32 80 201

His strongest attachment is to Jiang Qiaoqiao. Threats against her can override his usual restraint: he mobilized the Imperial Guards against the Crown Prince when Jiang Qiaoqiao was endangered and openly rejected a marriage alliance involving her. 147 589 590

He is pragmatic about coercion and willing to deceive, intimidate, or use torture during investigations. However, he draws a personal line against acts such as human trafficking and regards protecting victims as more important than appearances or official convenience. 229 319 359

Jiang Yun also has a dry, provocative sense of humor. When Xu Suwen asked why he would not personally kill an evil spirit, he claimed, “I have a kind heart and cannot bear to kill.” 6

Abilities & Skills

Ghost Sight and Spiritual Sense

Jiang Yun’s original ability to perceive ghosts and spirits became the foundation of his Daoist cultivation. 1

• Can identify supernatural phenomena that others misread, such as recognizing an illusion technique rather than an evil spirit. 80
• Possesses spiritual sense far beyond his cultivation realm; as a Fifth Rank cultivator, he defeated Fourth Rank True Man Wuyue in a Spiritual Sense Bead duel. 231
• His exceptional spiritual sense was identified as equivalent to a Third Rank Celestial Master before his physical cultivation reached that realm. 231

Talisman Arts and Daoist Incantations

Jiang Yun’s primary combat specialty is talisman arts, combining prepared talismans with unusually powerful incantations. 39 461

• Lightning Palm Strike — channels lightning through a hand-drawn talisman, incapacitating more than a dozen guards in one strike. 39
• Samadhi True Fire — an Extreme Yang Daoist flame capable of forcing back multiple Seventh Rank opponents and burning through demonic defenses. 49 109
• Electric True Fire — combines fire and lightning to intensify his offense against stronger enemies. 49 109
• Thunder God Spell — summons thunderclouds and calls lightning into his body, temporarily granting powerful lightning-enhanced combat ability. 164 224
• Seven Edicts — a high-cost Daoist technique whose Seventh Edict can defeat opponents far above his level, but completely drains his Magic Power. 487
• Limit: His strongest spells rapidly consume Magic Power; he was unable to finish Copper Pillar after exhausting his reserves, and collapsed after using the Seventh Edict. 165 487

Formations and Divine Summoning

Jiang Yun is proficient in formations, using them for cultivation, battlefield control, and divine invocation. 45 461

• Five Elements Formation — gathers dense Spiritual Energy to accelerate cultivation; its materials, especially gold, make it extremely expensive to maintain. 45 46 47
• Eight Kill Annihilation Formation — defeated one hundred and twenty-eight treants by exploiting the trial’s rules and forcing them into a prepared formation. 461
• Divine Summoning — can invoke manifestations of Daoist deities, including Taiqing Daode Heavenly Lord and the Three Pure Ones, to suppress powerful enemies. 135 254 701
• Uses earth-based spells to detect and compress enemies moving underground, countering Sun Wuji’s Earth Escape Technique. 330

Martial Combat

Though primarily a Daoist, Jiang Yun’s high cultivation grants him overwhelming physical strength against ordinary martial artists. 752

• Knocked out Seventh Rank Tendon Refining martial artist Wu Tongzhan with a single punch while still recovering from serious injuries. 752
• Taught the Purple Gold Fist technique to the Tiger Head Escort Agency. 752
• Can combine talismans, lightning enhancement, and close-quarters strikes against higher-ranked enemies. 165 225

Investigation and Command

Jiang Yun is an effective investigator and Imperial Guards commander, known for turning political constraints and incomplete evidence into workable cases. 80 103 614

• Deduced that a criminal’s illusion technique required a nearby Sixth Rank Confucian cultivator, narrowing an otherwise supernatural investigation. 80
• Used an imperial decree to arrest nearly thirty children of powerful families connected to the northern-border arms and supplies case. 103
• Reorganized the Imperial Guards after becoming Commander, appointing Qi Da and Zhu Zanyü as Garrison Commanders and removing insubordinate officers. 614

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Talismans — carries yellow and red talismans for lightning, fire, binding, formations, and divine summoning. 39 251
• Five Elements Formation — cultivation array fueled by valuable materials and large quantities of gold. 45 168
• Copper Pillar Token — acquired after Copper Pillar’s death; used to establish a Five Elements Array and maintain a Sin Mirror Platform cover identity. 165 168
• Green Lotus Treasure Banner — defensive treasure that produces a green protective light but has no offensive capability. 757
• Three Pure Ones Whisk — Daoist weapon used after reaching the First Rank Dao Immortal Realm. 697
• Sky Meteorite — received one from Uncle Fu during his time in the Demon Country. 532
• Imperial Guards Flying Fish Robes and Xiuchun Saber — standard Imperial Guards equipment received while investigating cases in the Capital City. 81

Relationships

• Jiang Qiaoqiao — younger sister. Her lifelong sacrifices after their parents’ deaths transformed Jiang Yun’s priorities; he is fiercely protective of her. 1 147 589
• Xu Suwen — wife and Imperial Guard ally. She protected Jiang Yun’s household from Peng San, repeatedly supported his investigations, and later married him by imperial decree. 8 219 587
• Xu Xiaogang — Xu Suwen’s younger brother and Jiang Yun’s brother-in-law. A frequent cultivation partner, field ally, and later military commander. 46 139 246
• Linglong / Princess Ningyi — Red Lotus Cult Leader and recurring ally. They have cooperated against True Man Wuyue, Sun Wuji, demonic forces, and court threats despite her rebel identity. 221 225 330 468
• Feng Yu — imperial eunuch, patron, and politically influential supporter. He assigned Jiang Yun major missions, secured promotions for him, and repeatedly attempted to recruit him into palace service. 105 345 410
• Qi Da — trusted Imperial Guard subordinate. Jiang Yun later appointed him Garrison Commander of the Northern Garrison Command. 212 614
• Qin Shujian — disciple. Jiang Yun rescued him from the Ministry of Justice and continued supporting him after his meridians were damaged. 212 391
• Li Chen Dao / Little Thirteen — young disciple taken in after Jiang Yun recognized his unusual abilities. 662 676
• Yang Liunian — former Eastern Garrison Command commander and longtime colleague. He supported Jiang Yun’s investigations and was later promoted to Vice Prefect under him. 103 614
• Li Wangxin — former Commander of the Imperial Guards. He defended Jiang Yun in court and later transferred command of the Imperial Guards to him. 302 614
• Xiao Jingzhi — imperial ally who protected Jiang Yun from the Xiang Family ancestor and later faced pressure from Saints demanding Jiang Yun’s arrest. 690 742

Story Role / Major Arcs

Nanzhou Prefecture

After transmigrating, Jiang Yun escaped poverty and supernatural danger surrounding Huang Manor, then began working with Xu Suwen and Xu Xiaogang on Imperial Guard cases. He confronted Prince Su’s forces, used the Five Elements Formation to rapidly cultivate, and fought multiple Seventh Rank experts with talisman arts. 1 39 45 49

Rise in the Imperial Guards

In the Capital City, Jiang Yun distinguished himself through aggressive investigations, including the northern-border arms and supplies case. He arrested noble heirs under imperial decree, earned Emperor Xiao Yuzheng’s attention, and navigated conflict between Tianqing Temple and Renyi Academy by accepting ties with both factions. 103 118

Western Shu and True Man Wuyue

Assigned to capture the rebel True Man Wuyue, Jiang Yun entered Western Shu with Leng Liu’er, encountered Linglong, and survived the Blood Demon’s intervention. After Wuyue murdered Wu Qing, Jiang Yun defeated him in a spiritual-sense duel and destroyed his soul. 219 225 231

Commander and Political Target

Jiang Yun rose from Hundred Households to Thousand Households, then Commander of the Eastern Garrison Command. He became a central figure in court factional struggles, repeatedly clashing with princes, corrupt officials, powerful sects, and demon clans. 345 354 410

After Emperor Xiao Yuzheng’s death, Jiang Yun assumed command of the entire Imperial Guards organization. He immediately restructured its leadership, promoted trusted subordinates, and confronted aristocratic families such as the Xiang Family. 602 614 616

Fugitive Arc

Saints Fang Tianzong and Chu Qinghe pressured Xiao Jingzhi into dismissing Jiang Yun and proclaiming him a traitor accused of “colluding with foreign states and selling out the country.” Jiang Yun escaped the Capital City while badly injured, concealed himself as Zeng Yunfan at the Tiger Head Escort Agency, and resumed contact with Imperial Guard loyalists who still recognized him as Lord Jiang. 746 751 752 754