Zhao Gongming

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhao Gongming (赵公明)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Jie Sect
Occupation/Role	Outer Sect disciple; one of the Jie Sect’s prominent immortals
Status	Alive
First Appearance	1

Background / History

Zhao Gongming was already one of the Jie Sect’s better-known disciples, with greater external renown than Zhao Xuan despite Zhao Xuan’s status as Eldest Senior Brother. He attended the core disciples’ gathering at Biyou Palace when Zhao Xuan’s three-century-old prophecy concerning Haotian, Zixiao Palace, and the Investiture of the Gods began coming true. 1

Three hundred years earlier, Zhao Xuan had specifically warned him that his devotion to righteousness could be exploited. As the Investiture crisis approached, Zhao Gongming began to understand that loyalty and affection could be turned into traps against the Jie Sect. 2 6

Personality

Zhao Gongming values loyalty, family, and sect ties deeply. His first concern is often the welfare of others: he fears that his own misplaced loyalty could lead his three sisters into danger, and initially worries that the Jie Sect’s withdrawal from worldly affairs will leave demons, human tribes, and rogue cultivators unchecked. 4 6

He becomes more cautious after Zhao Xuan’s warnings and confirmed predictions. Rather than rejecting loyalty, he concludes that Jie Sect disciples must investigate apparent provocations before descending the mountain, refusing to let grief or vengeance dictate their actions. 6

He is also pragmatic and observant. During the Heavenly Court’s crisis, he recognizes that the Jie Sect’s withdrawal alone cannot force Haotian to abandon the Investiture; its immediate purpose is to make Jie Sect disciples recognize their own importance. 10

Abilities & Skills

Cultivation

Zhao Gongming is identified as a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. 26

• Possesses vast divine power and magic. 6
• His future vision shows him being targeted through the Nail-Head Seven-Arrow Book rather than defeated in a direct battle. 2 26

Sea-Calming Pearls

Zhao Gongming can manifest the Twenty-Four Sea-Calming Pearls.

• When the Investiture of the Gods List reveals his predicted death, the pearls appear behind him in twenty-four rays of five-colored light. 26
• Their manifestation shakes the “Jie Sect” inscription on the phantom Investiture of the Gods List. 26

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Twenty-Four Sea-Calming Pearls — Zhao Gongming’s manifested treasure, which responds to his anger at the fate imposed upon him. 26

Relationships

• Zhao Xuan — Eldest Senior Brother whose warning about Zhao Gongming’s righteousness forces him to reconsider how loyalty can be exploited during the Investiture calamity. 2 6
• Yun Xiao — Younger sister; her counsel that they should investigate possible traps reinforces Zhao Gongming’s new caution. 6
• Qiong Xiao — Younger sister; joins the family discussion over whether they should act when fellow disciples are harmed. 6
• Bi Xiao — Younger sister; initially favors direct resistance and later shares the Jie Sect’s anger toward the Investiture. 2 6
• Master Tongtian — Sect master. Zhao Gongming supports Tongtian and Zhao Xuan’s challenge to the Investiture of the Gods List. 26 33
• Qingxiaozi — Fellow Jie Sect disciple. Zhao Gongming supports the demand that Qingxiaozi’s service to the Heavenly Court be formally recognized rather than treated as an unpaid obligation. 19
• Holy Mother Guiling — Fellow Jie Sect disciple and ally in confronting Guangchengzi; both stand ready to defend Zhao Xuan during the East Sea dispute. 18

Story Role / Major Arcs

Investiture Crisis

Zhao Gongming is present when the Jie Sect learns that the Investiture of the Gods List may soon manifest. Though Bi Xiao initially advocates fighting, he is troubled by Zhao Xuan’s earlier warning and begins to recognize the political scale of the calamity. 1 2

When Zhao Xuan proposes withdrawing the Jie Sect from the Primordial World’s affairs, Zhao Gongming raises practical concerns about the chaos that could follow. Zhao Xuan’s response—that the Jie Sect should not bear responsibility for disasters it did not create—becomes a major turning point in Zhao Gongming’s understanding. 4

Heavenly Court Withdrawal

After the Jie Sect recalls its disciples, Zhao Gongming observes the resulting failures in the Heavenly Court’s administration. He challenges Zhao Xuan on whether exposing this dependence can truly alter Haotian’s intent, and accepts Zhao Xuan’s answer that the strategy’s immediate purpose is to show the Jie Sect its own value. 10 11

During the Third Sea Eye dispute, he supports Qingxiaozi’s right to receive formal recognition, merit, and protection from misplaced blame. After Qingxiaozi stabilizes the Sea Eye, Zhao Gongming states that what had once been assistance given out of friendship must henceforth be treated as a debt owed to the Jie Sect. 18 19

Challenge to the Investiture of the Gods List

When severed Old Merit Karma causes calamity energy to rebound, Zhao Gongming sees his own predicted death: his true spirit being destroyed through the Nail-Head Seven-Arrow Book. He rejects this fate as an unjust reward for his loyalty to his sect and siblings, then manifests the Sea-Calming Pearls against the list. 26

He later recognizes Zhao Xuan’s restraint during the accountability proceedings: Zhao Xuan is not seeking momentary satisfaction, but a position from which the Jie Sect and its ledger can stand firm. 29 32

Internal Investigation

After the Dao Ancestor temporarily seals the dispute, Zhao Gongming accepts responsibility for investigating Jie Sect disciples traveling abroad. The assignment is part of Zhao Xuan’s effort to identify internal wrongdoing before outside factions can use individual crimes to condemn the entire sect. 33

Notable Quotes

“I, Zhao Gongming, have never shunned the mortal world. I value my sect, I value my siblings, and I value the word ‘loyalty’.”
— 26

“In the past, this was out of friendship. From now on, this is a debt.”
— 19