Zhao Honglie

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhao Honglie
Alias(es)	Gang Leader Zhao; Leader of the Black Sand Gang
Species/Race	Formerly human; later a Holy Demon of the Sacred Demon Clan
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Black Sand Gang (former leader); Holy Demon Race
Occupation/Role	Gang leader, warlord, and later demonic cultivator
Status	Destroyed by Gu Sheng after repeated resurrections during their final battle 334
First Appearance	59

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Copper Bone Realm	140	Confirmed as a Copper Bone Realm martial artist when Qian Jin addresses him as such.
Black-bead demonic mutation	148 149	Swallowed a mysterious black bead while cornered by Qian Jin and Bai Yuqi; transformed into a towering, four-armed monster with strength and speed surpassing ordinary Copper Bone Realm fighters.
Gold Bone Realm / Holy Demon Body	231	Refined Demon General’s Essence Blood and condensed the Holy Demon Body. Though still at the Gold Bone Realm in martial cultivation, he could overpower an ordinary second-layer Marrow Refining Realm cultivator.
Marrow Refining Realm	239	Released and refined the previously suppressed Demon General’s Essence Blood within the Chiyun Secret Domain, breaking through after absorbing its pure spiritual energy.
Sea Bottom Realm, ninth level	333	Claimed ninth-level Sea Bottom Realm cultivation while confronting fifth-level Gu Sheng.

Background / History

Zhao Honglie led the Black Sand Gang in Canghe County. During Liu Yuanhu’s coup against County Magistrate Cao Shiduan, Zhao switched the gang’s allegiance, personally captured and killed Cao, then publicly pledged loyalty to Liu. Liu nevertheless regarded him as a dangerous temporary ally whose extraordinary strength and hidden methods required close surveillance 59.

His subordinates knew him as a “cold and venomous snake,” outwardly capable of humility while concealing ruthless intentions. After a setback against Liu Yuanhu’s forces, Zhao withdrew to a hidden underground chamber containing a chained, disheveled prisoner whose identity was not revealed 103.

As his conflict with Liu escalated, Zhao retaliated through covert warfare. He secretly held Zhang Guangqun’s only son hostage, intending to force Zhang into poisoning Liu Yuanhu’s faction and opening Canghe County’s gates 134. He also had abducted blacksmiths forge heavy armor for the Black Sand Gang, ultimately stockpiling 220 sets and more than 800 Boiling Blood Pills for his planned assault 137.

Zhao’s larger ambition was to gain entry into the Fire Worship Cult and acquire cultivation resources unavailable for purchase, particularly the tightly controlled Reception Technique. He was willing to spend the Black Sand Gang’s wealth, promise future plunder, and flatter Fire Worship Cult intermediaries such as Qian Jin to secure that path 141 144.

Appearance

Following his demonic transformation, Zhao Honglie became increasingly inhuman: a towering, black-skinned figure marked by flowing runes and surrounded by dense demonic energy.

• After consuming the black bead, he grew over three meters tall and developed a second pair of white bone arms from his waist; black markings covered his face 148.
• When the initial transformation subsided, his facial markings and black pupils remained, and his aura became cold, violent, and predatory 149.
• After condensing the Holy Demon Body, he stood roughly three to four meters tall, with dark skin, faint golden runes, immense musculature, and two pairs of black bone wings 231.
• During the Chiyun Secret Domain incident, he manifested an even more monstrous form with four pairs of bone wings 236.

Personality

Zhao Honglie is calculating, opportunistic, and deeply suspicious. He changed sides during the struggle for Canghe County, kept hostages as leverage, and used information about his secret resources to establish dominance over allied family heads 59 134.

He is also highly ambitious. His attempt to seize Canghe County was not merely for territorial control; he sought wealth, access to the Fire Worship Cult, and a route toward higher cultivation. He repeatedly endured humiliation from stronger allies such as Qian Jin because he believed their connections could advance his ambitions 141 144.

After becoming demonic, his cruelty became overt. Zhao regarded talented martial artists and cultivators as nourishment for his Holy Demon Origin, devoured both flesh and souls, and saw the people trapped in the Chiyun Secret Domain as material for his Myriad Souls Banner 223 237.

Abilities & Skills

Saber Arts

Zhao was an accomplished saber fighter before his demonic transformation.

• Blood Fiend Slash — A saber technique that surrounds his blade with crimson killing intent and produces powerful cutting force 146.
• His Blood Fiend Slash could generate crescent-shaped blade energies capable of shredding a wooden corridor during his fight with Qian Jin 148.
• Liu Yuanhu’s Burning Blood Pill-enhanced power was able to break the technique, forcing Zhao to evade rather than fight directly 146.

Demonic Transformation and Holy Demon Body

Zhao’s greatest power came from demonic sources rather than conventional martial cultivation.

• Swallowing the black bead granted a monstrous body, explosive physical power, greatly enhanced speed, and a compulsive hunger for flesh 148.
• He later refined a drop of Demon General’s Essence Blood using techniques inherited through his demon seed, imprisoning the blood’s power in his dantian after it nearly overwhelmed him 223 224.
• The resulting Holy Demon Body possessed durability beyond ordinary demon blood beasts and allowed him to contend with Marrow Refining Realm experts while his martial cultivation remained at Gold Bone Realm 231.
• His demonic energy could form shields, barriers, black mist, runes, and attacks stronger than Bloodline Power 237 239.

Sacred Demon Shattering Mountain Fist

Zhao’s signature demonic combat technique condenses his Holy Demon Body’s power into overwhelming punches.

• Its attacks manifest as massive black mountain-like force and can overpower conventional martial arts 237 333.
• Gu Sheng and Lin Tianhao could only barely withstand it through combined attacks 237.
• The technique’s power was tied to Zhao’s demonic energy and Holy Demon Body 333.

Devouring and Soul Refinement

Zhao strengthened himself by consuming living beings and refining their essence.

• He killed and completely devoured Bai Yuqi, including his bones, after the latter attempted to flee 148 149.
• He devoured Zhu Hong’s body, extracted and refined Zhu Hong’s soul, and described talented martial artists as especially valuable nourishment for creating Holy Demon Origin 223.
• In the Chiyun Secret Domain, he captured people alive and fed them into tentacles extending from his mouth 237.
• His consumption increased his strength and ferocity, but also made his behavior more openly bestial and unstable 148 237.

Myriad Souls Banner and Formations

Zhao employed demonic artifacts and formations to isolate prey.

• Myriad Souls Banner — Released black mist and ghosts to attack Gu Sheng, later used to lure cultivators into a prepared trap 236 255.
• He planned to refine the trapped cultivators of the Chiyun Secret Domain into the banner 237.
• His demonic formations could raise black curtains that separated opponents and resisted sustained attacks for a time 236 238.

Manipulation and Puppet Creation

Zhao used subordinates as expendable tools.

• He helped Kang Tai activate a Demon Seed, transforming him into a more violent demonic servant 231.
• Disguised in Saint Pill City, he selected Shi Jianyi as a puppet to gather information on Gu Sheng, the Saint Pill Sect, and the Demon Suppressing Golden Scroll 241.
• He ordered Shi Jianyi to lure Gu Sheng into remote terrain, where Zhao could attack without interference from the Saint Pill Sect 241.

Survival and Reconstitution

Zhao repeatedly survived apparently fatal defeats.

• When crushed by the Demon Suppressing Golden Scroll, his body dispersed into black mist and escaped 256.
• During his final battle with Gu Sheng and Linghu Qingwan, he rose again after being pierced through the chest more than once, each return accompanied by renewed demonic power 334.
• The limits and mechanism of this reconstitution were not explained.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Long saber — Zhao’s primary weapon during his Canghe County battles and while using Blood Fiend Slash 146 148.
• Black bead — A mysterious bead he swallowed while near death; it initiated his first major demonic mutation 148.
• Myriad Souls Banner — Demonic banner used to unleash ghosts, lay traps, and potentially refine captured cultivators 236 237 255.
• Heavy armor stockpile — The Black Sand Gang possessed 220 forged sets; Zhao distributed 80 sets to allied family heads before attacking nearby towns 137.
• Boiling Blood Pills — Zhao had over 800 available for his forces and consumed one himself when fighting Qian Jin and Bai Yuqi 137 148.

Relationships

• Liu Yuanhu — Former ally after Zhao helped overthrow Cao Shiduan; later his principal rival for control of Canghe County 59 145 146.
• Cao Shiduan — County Magistrate betrayed, captured, and killed by Zhao during Liu Yuanhu’s coup 59.
• Zhang Guangqun — Liu Yuanhu’s trusted subordinate; Zhao kidnapped Zhang’s only son to coerce him into betraying Liu 134.
• Qian Jin — Fire Worship Cult-connected Copper Bone Realm expert initially hired by Zhao; later betrayed him for his wealth and narrowly escaped Zhao’s transformed state 141 144 148.
• Bai Yuqi — Hired Copper Bone Realm ally during the siege of Canghe County; Zhao killed and devoured him after the alliance collapsed 145 148 149.
• Kang Tai — Demonic subordinate whose Demon Seed Zhao activated and stabilized before sending him away for later use 231.
• Shi Jianyi — Puppet recruited to spy on the Saint Pill Sect and lure Gu Sheng into an ambush 241.
• Zhu Hong — Saved by Zhao from self-destruction, then later devoured and subjected to soul refinement 222 223.
• Gu Sheng — Long-term enemy who repeatedly thwarted Zhao’s plans and ultimately destroyed him 242 255 334.
• Linghu Qingwan — Gu Sheng’s ally who severed Zhao’s arm and fought beside Gu Sheng during Zhao’s final defeat 334.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Canghe County Power Struggle

Zhao begins as the Black Sand Gang’s leader and a decisive force in Liu Yuanhu’s overthrow of Cao Shiduan. Their alliance rapidly deteriorates as Zhao pursues Canghe County for himself, gathers aristocratic allies, builds a heavy-armored force, and attempts to manipulate Zhang Guangqun through his hostage son 59 134 137.

His siege of Canghe County relied on Qian Jin infiltrating the city and opening its gates, while Bai Yuqi supported the offensive. Although the plan allowed Black Sand Gang forces to enter the city, Ge Qing intervened, defeated Zhao’s allies, and forced the gang to retreat 145 146 147.

Demonic Fall

Abandoned by Qian Jin and Bai Yuqi after the failed campaign, Zhao swallowed the black bead rather than die. The transformation let him maim Qian Jin, kill Bai Yuqi, and devour the latter’s body, but it also permanently altered his appearance and nature 148 149.

Zhao later appeared at the Demon Suppressing Sect ruins, where he sealed the entrance, devoured Zhu Hong’s soul, and absorbed a drop of Demon General’s Essence Blood. He survived its attempted possession and used the power to condense the Holy Demon Body 223 224 231.

Chiyun Secret Domain

Inside the Chiyun Secret Domain, Zhao used the Myriad Souls Banner and a grand formation to trap cultivators as “blood food.” He openly sought to consume the domain’s talented entrants and refine them into the banner 236 237.

When pressured by Gu Sheng, Lin Tianhao, and the Demon Suppressing Golden Scroll, Zhao released the essence blood he had been suppressing and forced a breakthrough to the Marrow Refining Realm. The Secret Domain’s laws then rejected him as a demon, compelling him to flee 239.

Conflict with Gu Sheng

Zhao continued targeting Gu Sheng through puppets and ambushes, seeking the Demon Suppressing Golden Scroll and Vajra Demon Suppressing Bell. Gu Sheng defeated one of Zhao’s manifestations with the Golden Scroll, but Zhao escaped as black mist 241 242 255 256.

Their final confrontation occurred after Zhao reached the ninth level of the Sea Bottom Realm. Gu Sheng and Linghu Qingwan repeatedly brought Zhao down, but his demonic power allowed him to rise again. Gu Sheng ultimately used his Grass Vine Demonic Soul to destroy him 333 334.

Notable Quotes

“The great Dark Age is about to descend. Let me be its pioneer!” 223

“The best way to eliminate fear is to face it head-on! Come, evolve with me!” 237