Phoenix Emperor

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Phoenix Emperor (凤皇)
Alias(es)	Painting Saint; Lady Painting Saint; Saint of Painting
Species/Race	Ghost; artifact spirit of the Mortal Fireworks Painting
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Soul Return Town; formerly one of Dragon Xia Imperial City's three rulers; joined the Evil God's ranks under a non-aggression pact
Occupation/Role	Absolute ruler of Soul Return Town; former eldest princess of Dragon Xia Imperial City
Status	In deep sleep within the severely damaged Mortal Fireworks Painting
First Appearance	Mentioned: Chapter 156; appears: Chapter 183

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Elemental Demigod	220	Reveals herself as an Elemental Demigod and battles Jiangnan with Divine Phoenix Karma Fire and Cosmos Black Ice.
Eight elements gathered	228	Annihilates Albert and absorbs his elemental powers, completing her collection of eight elements; she identifies Light as the final power needed for godhood.
Defeated and dormant	232–233	Jiangnan destroys her Eight-Color Orbital Cannon and fatally wounds her with Extinction Tribulation Light; her physical form disperses and she enters deep sleep in the damaged Mortal Fireworks Painting.

Background / History

Phoenix Emperor was the eldest princess of Dragon Xia Imperial City and one of its three supreme rulers, alongside the Ancestor Dragon Emperor and the Dragon God. She possessed the Mortal Fireworks Painting and Mountains and Rivers Brush, two supreme spirit artifacts forged by the former emperor. 156 171

When the Dragon God was still an overlooked soldier with less than one-tenth of his bloodline awakened, Phoenix Emperor alone believed he would achieve greatness. She watched him rise from Dragon Guard to Dragon General, Dragon King, and finally godhood; despite many suitors, she waited for him after he declared he would never marry. 171

Following the Dragon God's fall, Phoenix Emperor waited for his return for a thousand years. At some point, Soul Return Town entered a non-aggression pact with the Evil God, while Phoenix Emperor became bound by its contract. She later maintained the town by harvesting souls for its Soul Furnace, believing this was necessary to preserve its inhabitants and sanctuary. 171 183 204 213

When Jiangnan arrives in Soul Return Town, she recognizes him as the reincarnated Dragon God. She arranges a groom selection to draw him close, ultimately choosing him herself, but his amnesia and rejection destroy her hope of an immediate reunion. 183 184 216

Her plan to sacrifice contestants and townsfolk to fuel Soul Return Town brings her into open conflict with Jiangnan. Grief, possessiveness, and Lu Mingfei's amplified [Rage] push her into seeking to kill Jiangnan and revive him as someone who belongs solely to her. 220 228

After exhausting her power against Jiangnan, Phoenix Emperor recognizes the ruin her obsession has caused. Her damaged painting can no longer receive energy, leaving her dormant; Jiangnan resolves to seek the Ancestor Dragon Emperor's aid to restore both the artifact and Phoenix Emperor. 233 237

Appearance

Phoenix Emperor initially manifests as a peerlessly beautiful woman with an imperial bearing, though her true form beneath her elemental armor is skeletal, with ghostfire burning in her eye sockets. 183 216 227

• Long crimson imperial robe embroidered with golden phoenixes. 183
• White-flame battle armor and a narrow warblade formed from Divine Phoenix Karma Fire. 220
• Crystal high heels. 211 216
• True ghostly body concealed beneath her immaculate outward appearance. 216 227

Personality

Phoenix Emperor is proud, commanding, and intensely possessive. She presents herself as an aloof sovereign who wishes only to protect Soul Return Town, but her decisions are inseparable from her millennium-long fixation on the Dragon God. 183 184

She is capable of tenderness and embarrassment around Jiangnan, relying on Little Sparrow's encouragement when she cannot bring herself to approach him directly. Yet her affection becomes destructive when she believes he has abandoned or rejected her. 187 220

As Soul Return Town's ruler, Phoenix Emperor is ruthlessly pragmatic. She accepts soul harvesting, executions, and the sacrifice of outsiders as the price of maintaining the town's continued existence. 204 211 213

After her defeat, she regains clarity and recognizes that her actions were driven by obsession. She regrets her arrogance and the destruction she inflicted upon the home she had tried to preserve. 233

Abilities & Skills

Elemental Demigod

Phoenix Emperor possesses multiple supernatural abilities within the Elemental Sequence and is regarded as an Elemental Demigod. 220 227

• Completes a collection of eight elements after absorbing Albert's powers. 228
• Uses elemental constructs, including a rock dragon, Steel Mystic Phoenix, and a Wind-Water-Thunder avatar. 227 230
• Requires the elemental power of Light to pursue true godhood. 228

Divine Phoenix Karma Fire

Sequence 06: Divine Phoenix Karma Fire manifests as pure-white flames, battle armor, and a flaming warblade. 220

• Produces overwhelming close-range offensive power capable of cutting through Jiangnan's Dragon God Imperial Armor. 220
• Burns away attacks such as spatial slashes. 229
• Can be used to threaten prolonged soul punishment. 223
• Helge developed immunity to Phoenix Emperor's supernatural karma fire. 293

Cosmos Black Ice

Sequence 015: Cosmos Black Ice allows Phoenix Emperor to generate powerful freezing attacks. 220

• Freezes Albert's invisible hurricane in midair. 227
• Combines with other elemental powers during combat. 220 227

Mother Earth

Sequence 046: Mother Earth grants Phoenix Emperor dominion over the ground surrounding Soul Return Town. 212

• Detects movement through the earth; she describes the land as informing her of intruders' tracks. 212
• Raises stone pillars, earth spikes, and defensive earthen walls. 212 225
• Her earth-based perception extends across roughly one hundred li while she stands on the ground. 212

Lord of Myriad Metals

Sequence 061: Lord of Myriad Metals lets Phoenix Emperor manipulate metal debris into constructs. 227

• Reassembled wreckage from the Shen Residence into a Steel Mystic Phoenix. 227

World as Prison

Phoenix Emperor's domain, World as Prison, is part of Soul Return Town itself due to her nature as the Mortal Fireworks Painting's artifact spirit. 222 227

• Can destroy Jiangnan's Heaven-and-Earth Dharma Form and devastate the surrounding area. 222
• Overwhelms opponents who lack a demigod-level domain. 222
• Albert escapes it only by sacrificing his own eye. 227

Soul Return Town Control

Phoenix Emperor exercises authority over Soul Return Town's systems, guards, terrain, and surveillance. 212 217

• Commands the Bloodblade Guards and ghost officials. 211 213
• Uses the Heaven-Peering Mirror as the town's highest-level control terminal. 217
• Can manipulate the town's spatial laws through the mirror. 217

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Mortal Fireworks Painting — A supreme spirit artifact containing a small world; it conceals Soul Return Town's true state and can reverse life and death. Phoenix Emperor is its artifact spirit. 171 216 227
• Mountains and Rivers Brush — A supreme spirit artifact whose artifact spirit is Shangguan Shuyi; Phoenix Emperor uses it to paint an Eight-Color Orbital Cannon. 171 230 231
• Heaven-Peering Mirror — Soul Return Town's highest-level control terminal and surveillance interface; enables spatial manipulation. 217
• Soul Furnace — Refines harvested souls into Source to sustain Soul Return Town. 211 213

Relationships

• Jiangnan / Dragon God — Her long-awaited lover. She believed in him before his rise, waited through his death and reincarnation, and later becomes dangerously obsessed with keeping him. 171 183 184 220 233
• Ancestor Dragon Emperor — Her younger brother and the sovereign of Dragon Xia Imperial City. Jiangnan intends to seek his help to repair the Mortal Fireworks Painting. 171 233
• Little Sparrow — Her personal maid and confidante, who urges Phoenix Emperor to act on her feelings for Jiangnan. 184 187
• Shangguan Shuyi — Her subordinate and the artifact spirit of the Mountains and Rivers Brush; Phoenix Emperor uses her as a final weapon during the battle with Jiangnan. 188 230
• Heavenblade Dragon King / Qin Jiudao — Former subordinate who begs her to help the dragon race; she agrees to assist him if he passes the groom-selection test. 183
• Shen Yingchun — Commander under her authority who carries out Soul Return Town's sacrificial plans. 204 210
• Yue Tian — Huaxia Jailer who uncovers the Soul Furnace's purpose; Phoenix Emperor defeats him and orders him thrown into it. 212 213
• Albert — Rival Elemental Demigod whose powers Phoenix Emperor absorbs after defeating him. 227 228

Story Role / Major Arcs

Groom Selection

Phoenix Emperor holds a groom-selection tournament after sensing Jiangnan's return. She covertly orders Shangguan Shuyi to give him preferential treatment, though Shangguan initially misinterprets the instruction and targets him instead. 183 195

Phoenix Emperor personally selects Jiangnan as her partner, but the moment is interrupted when Soul Return Town's illusion fails and her ghostly nature is exposed. 216 217

Soul Furnace Revelation

Phoenix Emperor's secret is exposed: Soul Return Town depends on Source refined by burning the souls of outsiders and criminals. The groom selection was designed to gather powerful victims for a major harvest. 211 213 219

War with Jiangnan

After Jiangnan rejects her plan to sacrifice his companions, Phoenix Emperor fights him as an Elemental Demigod. She deploys Divine Phoenix Karma Fire, Cosmos Black Ice, World as Prison, eight elemental powers, and the Mountains and Rivers Brush. 220 222 227 231

She is ultimately defeated by Jiangnan's Extinction Tribulation Light. Her physical form disperses, while her damaged artifact enters deep sleep. 232 233

Notable Quotes

“I choose him.” 216

“The only thing this Emperor regrets in this life...” 233

Trivia

• Phoenix Emperor's groom selection was not solely a romantic pursuit; it also functioned as a trap to gather powerful souls for the Soul Furnace. 213 219
• Her true nature as a ghost is hidden by the Mortal Fireworks Painting's illusion over Soul Return Town. 216
• She initially mistakes Jiangnan's demand for her two supreme artifacts as dowry for the familiar behavior of the Dragon God. 184