Zhou Wan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhou Wan (周婉)
Alias(es)	Zhou Second Life; Lord Zhou; Blood Spirit Child Zhou Wan; Sect Master Zhou
Species/Race	Human Gu Master; later transformed into a Blood Spirit Child and Gu Immortal
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Insect Valley; Imperial Observatory; Blood Spirit Sect
Occupation/Role	Gu Master; Imperial Observatory watcher; Blood Spirit Child; sect master
Status	Active; last seen struggling against the Primordial Blood Spirit within her spirit sea 725
First Appearance	Chapter 63

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
First-Rebirth Body	128	Her earlier Water Lamp art consumed flesh, blood, and vitality; she often maintained a childlike form to preserve herself.
Second-Rebirth Body, complete	128	Successfully molted into a Second-Rebirth Body. Her Water Lamp could be deployed and withdrawn without costing vitality, and her Spirit Gu egg hatched.
Three-Life Body	228	Yu Qiongzi's fusion, prepared Gu insects, pills, and experience elevated her from peak Second-Life to the Third-Life Body.
Four-Life Body	294	Reached the Four-Life Body with medicinal support from Yu Qiongzi's main body and became a Junior Administrator of the Imperial Observatory.
Eight-Life Body	590	Had already transformed into an Eight-Life Body roughly two centuries before this point.
Mid Nine-Life Body; Blood Spirit Child	607	The Blood Spirit Sect transformed her into a Blood Spirit Child and raised her to the middle stage of the Nine-Life Body within seven days.
Nine-Life Body, complete	622	Reached completion through prolonged cultivation guided by Cloud Dream's soul fragment.
Gu Immortal	683	Successfully transformed into a Gu Immortal after gaining benefits in the Divine Dao World.
Sect Master / newly ascended hierarch	720	Escaped Chaotic Immortal Marsh with the powers of the Blood Spirit, Great Wish, and Fire Great Daos.

Background

Zhou Wan first appears among the Gu Masters connected to Insect Valley. Lu Yao identifies her Exotic Gu as Water Lamp, an art fueled by her own flesh and blood that specializes in destroying bodies of flesh and blood. She intervenes when Zhu Li threatens Yu Ya, injuring Zhu Li to protect the timid younger Gu Master 63.

She initially treats Liu Feng as both a threat and a potential resource. Zhou Wan poisons his stone chamber with phosphor powder and attacks him with Water Lamp and mantis needles, but Liu defeats her and takes her Insect Crystals 65. She subsequently offers him a partnership to seek Spirit Gu in the Insect Nest, relying on his strength while pursuing her own escape from Lu Huai's control 66.

During the Insect Nest expedition, Zhou Wan obtains and implants a Spirit Gu egg. The egg rapidly drains her vitality, reducing her body to that of a frail toddler until Liu Feng carries her toward the spirit-nectar pool and supplies what spirit nectar he has 101. She later completes her Second-Rebirth Body, hatches the Spirit Gu, and briefly believes that her fortunes have turned 128.

That freedom ends when the grand formation transfers her into a sealed cavern. A Daoist of the Imperial Observatory recognizes the value of her Spirit Gu and receives orders to bring her into the organization as a Dawn Watcher. He plants a death talisman in her body before sending her away, leading Zhou Wan to blame Liu Feng for making her “a lackey of the authorities” 128.

Within the Imperial Observatory, she becomes a night watchman and implants a third Exotic Gu, Wood Spirit, for survival 217. Yu Qiongzi later turns her into an avatar by fusing a portion of her Primordial Spirit with Zhou Wan's true spirit. The resulting advancement gives Zhou Wan immense resources and power, but leaves her increasingly aware that she is being treated as a replaceable puppet 218 228.

Zhou Wan is repeatedly caught between stronger Gu Masters. Ji Qiu captures her for the Yin King Gu, Eclipse Moon, intending to force her to raise millions of Gu insects 282. Liu Feng later defeats Ji Qiu and takes advantage of Zhou Wan as part of his dealings with Yu Qiongzi, leaving her resentful of both of them 286 287.

After becoming a Blood Spirit Child, Zhou Wan uses a Blood Spirit Sect True Immortal to seize Yu Qiongzi and seeks revenge for being made an avatar and used as a bargaining piece 607. Cloud Dream's Greed Avatar infiltrates her body during this confrontation, binding Zhou Wan to another dangerous scheme 607 608.

Liu Feng later provides Zhou Wan with immortal medicines and Insect Medicine, instructing her to continue misleading Cloud Dream while reporting useful information to him 627. Having escaped Chaotic Immortal Marsh, Zhou Wan becomes a sect master and allies with Lu Yao to aid Liu Feng's avatar against a foretold calamity 720.

Appearance

Zhou Wan can alter her apparent age through Water Lamp. In her ordinary adult form, she is a short, round-faced woman who carries a large cloth sack and leaves her smooth bare legs exposed even in winter 63.

• Her vitality-preserving form is that of a small child; her temperament also becomes markedly childish in this state 66 183.
• Implanting the Spirit Gu egg once reduced her to the appearance of a three-year-old, with much of her hair turning white from lost vitality 101.
• She commonly carries Flower Mantis concealed beneath a large iron pot strapped to her back while using her child form 72.
• In later years, she is often described as a short girl with a ponytail or ram-horn braids 523 624.

Personality

Zhou Wan is survival-oriented, opportunistic, and acutely conscious of the gap between herself and stronger cultivators. She is willing to negotiate, flee, change allegiances, or trade information when direct resistance would get her killed. Her fear of death remains pronounced even after attaining higher realms 294 608 720.

She is also clever and capable of decisive action. She follows Liu Feng's escape route through the Insect Nest, constructs formations to intercept travelers near Falling Mirror Mountain, and recognizes irregularities in foreign cultivation methods 81 233 228.

Her resentment has a long memory. She never forgets Yu Qiongzi's possession of her body or Liu Feng's treatment of her, yet she repeatedly works with both when circumstances require it 607 689. Earlier in the story, she demonstrates genuine protectiveness toward Yu Ya, intervening when Zhu Li moves against him 63.

Abilities & Skills

Water Lamp

Water Lamp is Zhou Wan's primary Exotic Gu art. It burns her own flesh and blood as fuel, producing lamp flames specialized in damaging living bodies.

• Releases ghostly blue flames capable of attacking opponents at range 102.
• Can manifest hundreds of Water Lamps around her after her Second-Rebirth transformation 128.
• Her earlier use of the art consumed vitality, forcing her to maintain a childlike form between battles 66.
• Belt Stinkbug's shell can directly counter the art because Water Lamp is ineffective against targets with little exposed flesh and blood 102.

Flower Mantis

Flower Mantis is Zhou Wan's Soldier Gu and her principal mobility tool.

• Fires dense volleys of mantis needles 128.
• Can disguise Zhou Wan and carry her out of sight with its wings 102 128.
• Conceals itself on her back and forms insect armor around her body 228.
• Reached third grade by the time Zhou Wan became a Three-Life Body Gu Master 228.

Spirit Gu and Eclipse Moon

Zhou Wan's Spirit Gu hatched after her Second-Rebirth transformation and later developed into the Yin King Gu, Eclipse Moon.

• The Spirit Gu egg initially consumed her vitality when deprived of spirit nectar 101.
• Her Spirit Gu was considered valuable enough for Yu Qiongzi to recruit her into the Imperial Observatory 128.
• Eclipse Moon draws moonlight into her body and can be used to raise vast numbers of Gu insects 282.
• Ji Qiu sought to exploit Eclipse Moon to raise three million Gu insects 282.

Gu Armies and Soldier Gu

As Yu Qiongzi's Three-Life avatar, Zhou Wan received a fully prepared Gu Master arsenal.

• A third-grade Savage Gu 228.
• Flower Mantis and the third-grade Soldier Gu Sword Earwig 228.
• More than two hundred thousand Intermediate Gu 228.
• Red Willow, a blood-draining willow-like Gu that restrains enemies and condenses their blood into fruit 228.

Formation and Gu-Raising Expertise

Zhou Wan is competent in support and preparation rather than relying solely on direct combat.

• Set formation stones, spiritual crystals, and an array plate across multiple mountain paths near Falling Mirror Mountain 233.
• Was selected by Ji Qiu specifically for her King Gu's value in raising Gu insects 282.
• Uses her Blood Spirit abilities to cast off possessed shells and manifest blood light, Water Lamps, and flower shadows 626.

Blood Spirit Body and Great Daos

The Blood Spirit Sect remade Zhou Wan into a Blood Spirit Child, dramatically improving her body, spirituality, and cultivation potential.

• Her transformed Blood Spirit body brought her to the middle stage of the Nine-Life Body within seven days 607.
• She can separate spirit forms from her body, including a Nine-Life Body spirit form and a soul-refinement primordial spirit 607.
• As a sect master, she commands the Blood Spirit, Great Wish, and Fire Great Daos 720.
• She can sense the Primordial Blood Spirit's location and is no longer wholly subject to its control 720.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Flower Mantis — third-grade Soldier Gu used for armor, concealment, flight, and mantis needles 102 228.
• Sword Earwig — third-grade Soldier Gu capable of forming a massive blade 228.
• Savage Gu — a two-zhang Gu with an internal space that transports Zhou Wan and stores her Gu army 228.
• Treasure mirror — used during Imperial Observatory surveillance of the imperial palace; its countermeasure injured her 217.
• Formation stones, spiritual crystals, and array plate — used to establish mountain-path formations 233.

Relationships

• Liu Feng — Former enemy, intermittent ally, and later handler. She attacks him in Insect Valley, partners with him in the Insect Nest, receives aid when her Spirit Gu egg drains her vitality, and ultimately works as his informant within the Blood Spirit Sect 65 66 101 627.
• Yu Ya — Junior Gu Master whom Zhou Wan protects from Zhu Li; Yu Ya trusts her strength but does not always follow her restraint 63 66.
• Lu Yao — Fellow Insect Valley Gu Master and occasional adversary. Lu Yao's Belt Stinkbug directly counters Water Lamp, but the two later cooperate to assist Liu Feng's avatar 102 720.
• Yu Qiongzi — Imperial Observatory chief who recruits Zhou Wan, implants an avatar consciousness into her, and repeatedly attempts to take full control of her body. Zhou Wan later captures Yu Qiongzi in revenge 128 218 481 607.
• Ji Qiu — Yin King Gu Master who captures Zhou Wan and attempts to force her into raising Gu insects for Eclipse Moon 282.
• Cloud Dream — Uses a soul fragment to infiltrate Zhou Wan and exploit her Blood Spirit Child status for intelligence within the Blood Spirit Sect 607 608.
• Liu Dai — Senior Blood Spirit Child who rescues Zhou Wan from a river deity in the Divine Dao World and directs their group to gather intelligence in Flourishing City 624.
• Ouyang Shuiling — Temporary ally whose partnership with Zhou Wan collapses when Zhou Wan abandons her to seek Liu Feng's favor during the struggle for the Insect Shell Palace 580.

Notable Quotes

“The future of this Zhou is limitless.” 128

“Surname Liu, you made me into a lackey of the authorities...” 128

“A gentleman's revenge is never too late after ten years. For this auntie, even a thousand years is not too late for revenge.” 607

Trivia

• Zhou Wan is already nearly thirty by the time outsiders mistake her child form for an actual little girl 289.
• Her child form changes more than her appearance: her personality becomes mischievous and childlike as well 72 183.
• She considers knife-shaved noodles one of the few consolations left to her after becoming Yu Qiongzi's avatar 228.