Ao Lie

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Ao Lie was the favored third prince of the Blackwater Dragon Palace, raised with Dragon Clan resources and convinced of his own superiority. He regarded his brother Ao Zheng’s defeat at Abyss as cowardice and led three hundred Dragon Clan elites into the Abyss Sea Eye to expose the supposedly weakened Black Tortoise 9.

The Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation immediately crushed his force. Ao Lie’s Blackwater Dragon Talisman could not protect him from the formation, and his ten-thousand-zhang true dragon form was struck into the seabed. Rather than kill or ransom him, Lu Chen sentenced him to guard Abyss’s outskirts for one thousand years 9.

While helping construct Dragon-Suppressing Pass, Ao Lie initially resented his humiliation. Abyss’s residents, however, treated him cautiously rather than cruelly; the Sea Spirit Clan even brought restorative spiritual water for his injuries. Watching weaker races live without instinctively kneeling before dragons gradually challenged his beliefs about power and hierarchy 10.

Ao Lie’s Dragon Clan secret arts allowed him to detect the Blackwater Dragon King’s mobilization of three thousand Blackwater Dragon Army soldiers. Although facing his own clansmen left him conflicted, he recognized that a breach of Dragon-Suppressing Pass would endanger Abyss’s inhabitants and coiled around the outer gate to defend it 12 13.

When the Blackwater Dragon King withdrew after his defeat at Abyss, he ordered Ao Lie home. Ao Lie instead chose to remain and complete his punishment voluntarily. Lu Chen retained him as outer-gate guard, where his knowledge of the Dragon Clan became useful for surveillance and intelligence 15.

Ao Lie’s role was formalized when Ancestor Xuan Jia joined Abyss. Their hostility over the Dragon Clan’s exploitation of turtle hatchlings nearly led to a fight, but Lu Chen divided Dragon-Suppressing Pass into two commands: Ao Lie guarded the outer gate and watched the Dragon Clan, while Xuan Jia guarded the inner gate and reinforced Abyss’s defenses 18 19.

During the struggle for the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl, Ao Lie openly defended Abyss against Blackwater Dragon Palace Elder Ao Yin. He blocked Ao Yin’s attempt to seize the treasure, endured attacks from a stronger opponent, and declared that Abyss’s laws took precedence over Dragon Clan privilege 23 24.

The Dragon Clan Main Lineage later offered him a path back to his clan. Ao Lie refused, insisting that his punishment had not ended and daring Ao Cang to destroy Dragon-Suppressing Pass first. The Ancestral Dragon subsequently acknowledged his service and instructed him to continue upholding Abyss’s rules 29 32.

The Ancestral Dragon’s warning that the Dragon Clan might one day decline left Ao Lie’s Dao heart unstable. Han Jue helped him resolve the conflict by reminding him that Abyss judged conduct rather than origin; Ao Lie recommitted himself to guarding the pass 33.

When Demon Cult envoy Youdu weaponized old clan hatred within Abyss Academy, Han Jue’s heart demon made him attack Ao Lie as a supposed Dragon Clan traitor. Although deeply wounded by the accusation, Ao Lie later set aside their conflict and rallied Han Jue, Feng Li, and Lin Yue against Youdu with the command to fight the demons first 39 40 41. He later became one of the mentors responsible for the Dragon Clan children in the Young Clans Court 46.

During Abyss’s rescue of wounded members of the three clans, Ao Lie used Dragon Clan secret arts to stabilize an injured young dragon’s bloodline. He also rescued a young Phoenix Clan bird from the Blackwater and entrusted it to Feng Li, acting without regard for the clans’ traditional enmity 45.

Ao Lie helped construct the Three Lives Gate by incorporating the Ancestral Dragon’s aura into its screening system, so that endangered young dragons could be guided safely through Abyss’s true entrance. As the Three-Clan War intensified, he also personally received wounded Dragon Clan descendants at the gate and treated their dead with solemn respect 47 51.

When the Dragon-Han Cataclysm collapsed the three clans’ escape routes, Ao Lie became the guardian of the Eastern Sea Bridge. He evacuated young, weak, and severely wounded dragons into Abyss while refusing passage to soldiers burdened by battlefield killing karma. He remained at his assigned post as older dragons sacrificed themselves to buy their descendants time, finally understanding the weight of Lu Chen’s principle that one must “live first” 57 58.

After the collapse of Dragon Clan hegemony, the Ancestral Dragon’s Reverse Scale instructed Ao Lie to safeguard the surviving young bloodlines. Dragon Clan remnants later offered him the symbolic Northern Sea King Seal and asked him to restore order among the Eastern Sea water palaces. Ao Lie refused to accept the title immediately, stabilized the warring dragon lineages through personal authority, prioritized the young and injured, and returned to Dragon-Suppressing Pass after restoring peace 59 64 66.

His Eastern Sea mission was conducted as Ao Lie himself, not as an Abyss expedition: he took only about a dozen young Dragon Clan cultivators, without the Realm Guard, Lu Chen’s banner, or an Abyss decree. He stopped disputes over water palaces and young lineages, reorganized the water palaces, and assigned would-be rivals to repair sea eyes. After roughly a century, he left the Dragon King Seal in the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace and returned north, promising to respond if the Eastern Sea needed him 66.

Ao Lie’s refusal of kingship reflected his determination to preserve the Dragon Clan’s embers without reviving its former hegemony. He continues to regard gate duty as a conscious responsibility sanctioned by the Ancestral Dragon rather than a humiliation, even when other dragons question why a prince remains Abyss’s outer-gate commander 65 66 68.

Over the following several thousand years, Ao Lie made further trips to settle disputes among the Eastern Sea branches and repair crucial sea eyes. He also brought young dragons who had lost their elders to the Abyss Young Clans Court. The remnants became accustomed to seeking him at Dragon-Suppressing Pass when they could not resolve a problem themselves, regardless of whether he formally held a king’s title 68.

When the Sun Star’s representatives sought to register Abyss’s inhabitants as members of the Demon Clan, Ao Lie questioned whether even the Ancestral Dragon’s remnant bloodline counted under their definition. Once the envoy acknowledged that joining was voluntary, Ao Lie declined 80. During the later clarification of Abyss’s registry and jurisdiction, he publicly affirmed that he would preserve his Dragon Clan bloodline while giving the Abyss Edict precedence in his duties as outer-gate general. The Ancestral Dragon’s Reverse Scale responded with a faint watery light rather than rejecting his declaration 102.

Ao Lie accompanied Mysterious Abyss, Han Jue, and Feng Li against Daoist Xuan Cang’s fraudulent Mysterious Abyss Divine Court. After the Book of Cause and Effect exposed its extortion and massacres, Mysterious Abyss killed Xuan Cang, while Ao Lie, Han Jue, and Feng Li killed the nine core perpetrators. Those coerced into service were distinguished from the guilty and spared 137.

As Abyss’s reputation drew increasing attention, Ao Lie remained a practical advocate of restraint. He warned that the growing crowds around Three Lives Gate could be mistaken for territorial expansion, supporting Abyss’s eventual use of neutral Three Lives Post Stations rather than annexation 138. During the Nether Spring Lineage crisis, he helped maintain order around the incoming rescued souls and cautioned Han Jue against carelessly prying into Lu Chen’s methods after Ancestor Youquan’s death 151.

At the Thirty-Fourth Post Station, Ao Lie informed the late-arriving Han Jue that Black Crow had already been killed after attacking an Abyss Healer 175. After both the Demon and Witch war departments withdrew, Ao Lie observed that firmly established rules could deter aggression without anyone needing to activate a spiritual treasure or personally attack 177.

Ao Lie subsequently watched over the Northern Sea’s water veins. While investigating melting ice near the Cold Tide Waters, he extended water dao law through the surrounding region and found that the warming covered vast distances. He traced the heat to increasingly active solar true fire from the Sun Star and reported his findings at the Northern Darkness Dao Palace. Abyss then began inspecting stations, relocating cold-natured herbs, and preparing vulnerable tribes to migrate before the appearance of a second sun intensified the crisis 183 184.

As refugees fleeing the ten suns nearly filled the Three Lives Post Stations, Ao Lie helped assess the remaining capacity and proposed connecting the stations through the Northern Sea’s water veins. His plan used stabilized passages anchored by the Ninefold Netherworld Cold Spring to redistribute refugees to less crowded stations without expanding beyond the Northern Sea. Mysterious Abyss approved several trial routes, and Ao Lie began tracing their connections 197.

Lan Shuang later consulted Ao Lie and Han Jue about admitting the Azurewing, Inkfeather, and Redtail Clans, whose homelands had been destroyed by the ten suns despite their affiliation with the Demon Court. Mysterious Abyss authorized their admission under Abyss’s existing cause-and-effect rules, and the clans passed the audit and traveled through the waterways to their assigned homes 202.

Appearance

Ao Lie is a cold-featured young dragon prince whose bearing initially reflects his royal upbringing and confidence.

• Wears black-and-gold dragon-patterned armor. 9
• Has pitch-black dragon horns. 9
• Possesses a massive black true dragon form, described as ten thousand zhang long. 9
• His transformed body is accompanied by blackwater dragon aura and Blackwater lightning. 9
• Later bears the Outer Gate Array Imprint of Dragon-Suppressing Pass. 24 26
• Can assume a human form when accompanying Abyss expeditions or performing duties away from the pass. 20

Personality

Ao Lie begins as proud, status-conscious, and dismissive of weaker clans. He believes Dragon Clan blood, talent, and military force entitle him to obedience, and he initially treats Abyss as a bluff maintained by a reclusive Black Tortoise 9.

His years as a punished gatekeeper reshape that outlook. He comes to value Abyss’s order because it protects beings who would otherwise be treated as slaves, resources, or expendable conscripts by the Blackwater Dragon Palace. His defining conviction becomes that laws are meaningless if they only defend the strong 24.

He remains sharp-tongued, proud, and highly competitive. His frequent quarrels with Han Jue and Ancestor Xuan Jia reflect both genuine rivalry and growing familiarity. Beneath that pride, he is sensitive to being seen as untrustworthy solely because of his Dragon Clan heritage—a fear exploited by Youdu’s heart-demon scheme 19 39 40.

Ao Lie is ultimately defined by duty rather than inherited rank. During the Dragon Clan evacuation, he suppresses his grief and refuses to leave the Eastern Sea Bridge despite witnessing elders sacrifice themselves for their children. He accepts that survival of the next generation must take precedence over personal emotion or clan prestige 57 58.

Although he retains affection and responsibility for the Dragon Clan, he rejects any return to its old path of domination. His refusal to become Northern Sea King immediately, followed by his decision to return to gate duty after restoring the Eastern Sea, demonstrates his belief that authority must serve order rather than hegemony 65 66.

He does not regard loyalty to his bloodline and loyalty to Abyss’s laws as mutually exclusive. He explicitly preserves his Dragon Clan identity while placing the Abyss Edict first when acting as Dragon-Suppressing Pass’s defending general 102.

His later approach to authority emphasizes prevention and practical administration. He values rules capable of restraining hostile forces without violence, and responds to the ten-sun refugee crisis by seeking better use of existing Northern Sea routes rather than territorial expansion 177 197.

Abilities & Skills

Blackwater Dragon Transformation

Ao Lie can assume a colossal black dragon form and wield Blackwater dragon aura.

• His true dragon body is more condensed and his mana purer than Ao Zheng’s. 9
• Uses Blackwater lightning, dragon claws, and dragon-scale barriers in combat. 9 24
• His base cultivation is below Ao Yin’s peak Supreme Unity Golden Immortal level. 24
• Abyss’s Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation can suppress him completely within its territory. 9
• Can take a half-dragon form to concentrate Blackwater dragon aura into an offensive dragon manifestation. 41
• Combines his half-dragon form with the Outer Gate Formation Seal to strike Ao Yin in the chest after Abyss’s allies constrain the elder. 24

Outer Gate Formation Seal

His service at Dragon-Suppressing Pass gives him a formation seal linked to Abyss’s defenses.

• Reinforces his magical power with the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation, Northern Sea-Calming Stele Fragment, and Abyss water aura. 24
• Allows him to withstand Ao Yin’s attacks long enough for the Realm Guard to form a defensive array. 24
• Becomes more stable after the Inner Realm of the Abyss expands. 26
• Does not erase the cultivation gap against stronger Supreme Unity opponents; Ao Lie is still injured while defending against Ao Yin. 24
• Increases Dragon-Suppressing Pass’s outer-gate fortune after his Dao heart stabilizes under the Ancestral Dragon’s recognition. 33

Dragon Clan Intelligence and Reconnaissance

Ao Lie’s upbringing and knowledge of Dragon Clan practices make him Abyss’s primary observer of Dragon Clan threats.

• Uses Dragon Clan secret arts to vaguely sense large-scale Blackwater Dragon Palace troop movements, detecting his father’s mobilization of three thousand soldiers. 12
• Watches the Northern Sea from the outer gate and detects Blackwater Dragon Palace scouts. 19
• Identifies Dragon Clan representatives and understands their lineages during the Northern Dark Water Palace expedition. 20
• Helps Abyss prepare for the Dragon Clan Main Lineage by assessing its likely offensive formations. 28
• Warns Abyss that the Main Lineage’s authority and potential experts far exceed those of the Blackwater Dragon Palace. 27
• Records Dragon Clan formation-breaking methods and repeatedly trains Han Jue and the Realm Guard against simulated Dragon Clan assaults. 28
• Uses his standing among the surviving Dragon Clan to stop internal warfare and reorganize the Eastern Sea water palaces after the Dragon-Han Cataclysm. 66

Three Lives Gate and Bridge Guidance

Ao Lie applies his Dragon Clan bloodline and the Ancestral Dragon’s residual authority to Abyss’s refuge system.

• Adds the Ancestral Dragon’s aura to the Three Lives Gate to guide young Dragon Clan bloodlines through its examinations. 47
• Personally receives wounded young dragons and directs them into Abyss after they pass the gate’s karmic screening. 51
• Commands the Eastern Sea Bridge during the Three-Clan evacuation. 57
• Enforces the bridge’s restriction to young, weak, and severely wounded refugees, preventing soldiers with heavy killing karma from crossing. 57 58
• Returns orphaned young dragons from the Eastern Sea to the Young Clans Court during his later efforts to stabilize the Dragon Clan remnants. 68

Formation Cooperation

Ao Lie functions effectively within Abyss’s collective defensive methods.

• Channels Abyss Water Aura with Ancestor Xuan Jia to suppress the Sea Devourer Remnant Soul. 22
• Coordinates with Han Jue, Feng Li, Lin Yue, and the Realm Guard in the Three-Clan Guardian Formation against Youdu. 41
• Uses blackwater dragon aura as the formation’s offensive component while Feng Li suppresses demonic mist and Lin Yue stabilizes the academy’s foundations. 41
• Guards Dragon-Suppressing Pass alongside Han Jue and the Realm Guard during visits by major external powers, including Gonggong and Saint Tongtian. 84 134

Dragon Bloodline Stabilization

Ao Lie can apply Dragon Clan secret arts to aid injured young dragons.

• Sends secret arts into a wounded young dragon’s body to stabilize its dragon blood during Abyss’s rescue operations. 45
• Teaches Dragon Clan children in the Young Clans Court alongside the other clans’ mentors. 46

Water Dao and Water-Vein Management

Ao Lie’s Dragon Clan experience and water dao expertise support environmental monitoring, sea-eye repairs, and refugee transport.

• Helps repair crucial Eastern Sea sea eyes while resolving conflicts among the Dragon Clan remnants. 68
• Watches over the Northern Sea’s water veins as part of Abyss’s routine administration. 183
• Extends a strand of water dao law through ice across a million li to investigate widespread warming. 184
• Recognizes subtle changes in solar true fire through his experience with the interactions of heavenly and earthly water and fire. 184
• Analyzes charts of the Northern Sea’s water veins, cold currents, and warm currents, supported by collected jade-slip reports. 184
• Proposes connecting Three Lives Post Stations through stabilized water-vein passages anchored by the Ninefold Netherworld Cold Spring, then begins mapping the approved trial routes. 197

Equipment / Items

• Blackwater Dragon Talisman — bestowed by the Blackwater Dragon King for the Abyss expedition; released a Great Luo-level protective aura, but was overwhelmed by the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation. Remnants of the talisman later remained with Ao Lie and contributed to his ability to deter ordinary Water Clan cultivators at the outer gate. 9 19
• Dragon-Seeking Disc — used to investigate water veins, formations, and hidden-realm entrances; it was deceived by Abyss’s fabricated weakness. 9
• Black-and-gold dragon armor — ceremonial and combat attire worn during his first expedition to Abyss. 9
• Northern Sea King Seal — a symbolic seal jointly offered by surviving Dragon Clan lineages to appoint Ao Lie Northern Sea King. He declined to accept the title and left the seal in the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace after restoring order. 66

Relationships

• Lu Chen / Mysterious Abyss Emperor — Initially his captor and punisher; Ao Lie later voluntarily remains under Lu Chen’s authority and develops loyalty to Abyss’s principles. Lu Chen permits him to aid the surviving Dragon Clan only on the condition that its hegemony is not restored. 9 15 24 65 66
• Blackwater Dragon King — Father and ruler of the Blackwater Dragon Palace. Ao Lie ultimately refuses his order to return, though he continues to acknowledge his Dragon Clan bloodline. 9 15
• Ancestral Dragon — Supreme Dragon Clan authority. The Ancestral Dragon recognizes Ao Lie’s willingness to uphold Abyss’s rules, orders him to continue doing so, and entrusts the surviving young Dragon Clan bloodlines to Abyss’s protection. His Reverse Scale later responds favorably when Ao Lie declares that the Abyss Edict takes precedence in his gatekeeping duties without abandoning his bloodline. 31 32 59 102
• Ao Zheng — Older brother whom Ao Lie initially despises for being defeated by Abyss. 9
• Ao Yin — Blackwater Dragon Palace elder and direct ideological opponent. Ao Lie defends Abyss and drives him back during the dispute over the Sea-Calming Pearl. 23 24
• Han Jue — Rival, sparring partner, and ally. Their hostility evolves into mutual respect, with Han Jue helping Ao Lie stabilize his Dao heart. They continue to bicker while trusting one another during Abyss’s crises. 10 24 33 41 58 66
• Ancestor Xuan Jia — Inner-gate counterpart and frequent adversary. Their dragon-turtle rivalry is rooted in the Dragon Clan’s abuse of the Black-Shelled Turtle Tribe, but their complementary duties strengthen Dragon-Suppressing Pass. 18 19
• Feng Li — Fellow descendant of a great clan and later ally in Abyss’s defense. They cooperate against Youdu, help mentor the Young Clans Court, and share the responsibility of preserving their clans’ surviving bloodlines without restoring old hegemony. Ao Lie also entrusts a rescued young phoenix to her during the three clans’ first rescue truce. 40 41 45 46 57 65 66
• Lin Yue — Water Qilin ally who joins Ao Lie in Abyss’s three-clan defensive efforts and later helps guide displaced children. 41 46 57 58
• Dragon Clan remnant lineages — Regard Ao Lie as a legitimate stabilizing figure because of his bloodline, reputation at Dragon-Suppressing Pass, and the Ancestral Dragon’s final command. He accepts responsibility for their survival but refuses to become a new hegemon. They continue seeking his help at Dragon-Suppressing Pass after he resumes gate duty. 64 65 66 68
• Gonggong — Ao Lie recognizes the political danger posed by the Ancestral Witch’s arrival and helps restrain Han Jue from provoking him at Dragon-Suppressing Pass. 84
• Lan Shuang — Senior Abyss administrator who coordinates his defensive and administrative work. She calls on him to state Dragon-Suppressing Pass’s position on the Abyss Edict, helps organize the implementation of his post-station waterway proposal, and consults him about admitting displaced Demon Court-subordinate clans. 102 197 202
• Lady Mingzhu — Fellow member of the Northern Dark Water Palace expedition. Ao Lie shields her from Ao Yin’s attempt to seize the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Pearl, defending her as Abyss’s treasury keeper despite the elder’s accusations of betrayal. 23 24

Notable Quotes

“But today, I am upholding Abyss's rules.” 23

“If rules only protect the strong, then they are shackles. Only rules that protect the weak have any meaning.” 24

“Fight the demons first.” 41

“Live first.” 58

“Then crush it first.” 29

“Ancestral Dragon's final order was for me to guard the gate. Then I'll finish this task first.” 66

“So long as I guard this gate, the Abyss Edict comes first.” 102

“A Numinous Treasure needs someone to activate it. Once the rules are firmly established, there's often no need to lift a hand.” 177