Pei Xuance

Biodata

Power Progression

History

Demon-Slaying Battalion Career

In his youth, Pei Xuance was regarded as the Demon-Slaying Battalion’s “sharpest blade,” killing no fewer than one hundred Aperture-Penetration Realm demons. He and Shen Jingxian served as deputy generals during the same period, but Pei advanced to a higher position first. His reputation eventually spread throughout Cuiyun Circuit 73 104 132.

Pei also developed an unusually deep cultivation foundation. Li Hanguang identifies him and the Governor-General as the two Qingzhou martial artists known for opening exceptionally high numbers of apertures, though Pei’s exact total is not stated 134.

His early promise was exceptional even beyond Qingzhou. Lu Changgeng recalls that Pei once towered over Cuiyun Circuit, while Xuan Zhen remembers that his brilliance nearly attracted the capital’s attention 186 223.

Defending Qingzhou

After Governor-General Qin Lie lost his senses and his cultivation declined, Pei took on much of Qingzhou’s defense. Although nominally stationed in Guanlan Commandery, he had already cleared out most of its threats and spent more than a decade traveling across the province to suppress powerful demons 151 153.

Demon Kings often retreated into their lairs upon hearing that he was approaching. Nevertheless, repeated border incursions forced him to keep moving: demons probed different locations, threatening to attack wherever he could not respond 153.

The connection between Pei and the Governor-General’s condition initially emerges through Yang Xiao’s deduction. After Qin Lie mistakes Yang for Pei, Yang infers that Pei once killed an important Buddhist disciple and that Qin Lie suffered while handling the resulting conflict with the Precious Monastery 138.

Later events confirm the central circumstances of that grudge. Pei had killed the Buddha’s Son whom Xuan Zhen regarded as his successor. Qin Lie states that the disciple had broken the precepts against killing and lust and secretly harbored evil spirits, and that the reason for Pei’s intervention was known to both sides. Qin Lie’s confrontation with Xuan Zhen left his soul gravely wounded; Xuandu Abbey mediated the dispute without resolving the underlying hostility 223 238 247.

When Qin Lie discusses the powers behind Qingzhou’s recurring demon calamities, Pei realizes that the continued devastation is not simply a matter of demons being difficult to eradicate: other interests do not want them eliminated. Despite Qin Lie’s warning that Qingzhou can no longer supply the spiritual treasures needed for a safe Dao-Infant breakthrough, Pei remains determined to act against Yellow Wind Mountain 201 202.

Guanlan River Operation

Following the exposure of Jiang Chen’s corpse trafficking and collusion with water demons, Pei sealed off hundreds of miles of the Guanlan River. At the river, nine deputy generals restrained the Flood Dragon Lord with rune-covered chains while Pei confronted it over its consumption of humans 51 61.

The Flood Dragon Lord invoked its supposed services in controlling water demons and threatened retaliation from the Little Dragon King. Pei rejected both arguments. When it broke free, he intercepted it and pinned it to the riverbed with his Army-Breaking Spear. The demon escaped by detonating the rear half of its body, but remained gravely wounded with the spear embedded in it 61 62.

Yang Xiao subsequently survived the demon’s final attack and killed it using Pei’s spear. Impressed by his courage and achievement at perfected Liquid Condensation, Pei offered him a deputy general’s position and allowed him to keep the weapon. He later sent Yang a personally inscribed copy of the Mountain-Suppressing Spear Art 64 70.

Taking Yang Xiao into His Command

When Yang returned with Mysterious Core cultivation and transfer papers, Pei honored his earlier promise without questioning how he had advanced so quickly. Before deciding what responsibilities to entrust to him, however, he sent Yang to eliminate the Earthsplitter Stone Kui at Blackstone Ridge 153 154.

The assignment served both as a practical test and a way to establish Yang’s authority among the existing deputy generals. After Yang returned with the corpse, Pei signed his appointment document publicly 154 158 159.

Pei then offered Yang a choice between investigating Baisha Commandery’s abnormal sandstorms and the Waterfolk attacks around Xunjiang Commandery. Yang chose Baisha. When an urgent report revealed that border outposts had vanished beneath the sand, Pei identified a coordinated effort to clear Qingzhou’s defensive positions and dispatched Yang with supporting troops 159 160.

Battle with the Old Flood Dragon

At the Canglan River, Pei faced a prolonged stalemate: the Old Flood Dragon remained underwater, where it held the advantage, while its followers harassed the shores. Pei could not readily leave and attempted to reach the Dao-Infant Realm, which would allow him to overcome the river’s protection 190 192.

Yang’s arrival with Second Lord Jiao’s corpse drew the Old Flood Dragon out. It offered ten years of peace in exchange for Yang’s life; Pei refused. When it attacked the soldiers on the bank, he suppressed the incoming wave and engaged it directly 192 193.

Combining earth-based restraint with gold-powered spear strikes, Pei prevented the dragon from escaping underwater, hauled it onto the bank, and beheaded it. Afterward, he ordered surveillance rather than pursuit of unidentified demonic traces in the riverbed and advised Yang on advancing to Core Illumination 194 195.

Pei gave Yang the Old Flood Dragon’s core as a belated promotion gift. When Yang subsequently broke through, Pei observed the five-colored radiance from several li away and recognized that his hundred-zhang illumination range could rival that of some perfected Core Illumination generals. He concluded that Yang would surpass him in time and that the core had gone to the right person 194 197.

Appointing Qingzhou’s Fourteenth General

After Yang attained Core Illumination, Pei instructed him to remain at the Division pending a gathering of Qingzhou’s generals. At the meeting, thirteen Demon Suppression Generals reported on demon plagues, troop shortages, and personnel matters before Pei proposed adding another general 198.

Pei nominated Yang Xiao, whose Merit records Li Hanguang circulated among those present. Lu Zhengyi questioned Yang’s extraordinary cultivation speed and raised the possibility that he might be a demon spy, while Lu Changgeng and Chu Qingtian supported him based on their own experience. Pei allowed the discussion to finish, then declared that he alone would bear responsibility if Yang later proved problematic 199.

With the opposition silenced, Pei confirmed Yang as Qingzhou’s fourteenth Demon Suppression General and directed Li Hanguang to arrange his appointment, Cold Iron Mystic Armor, and Blood Baleful Intent Cloak 199.

Campaign against Yellow Wind Mountain

With the Old Flood Dragon dead, Pei could redirect his attention toward Yellow Wind Mountain. He showed Yang a map of Demon King lairs throughout Qingzhou and assigned him to uproot the remaining border threats while he watched the Yellow Wind Demon King. By this point, Yang’s repeated successes had earned his full trust 209.

Yang later delivered Li Hanguang’s confidential report concerning Lady Musk and the Longevity-Extending Treasure Lotus. Learning that the lotus had been traded to the Yellow Wind Demon King, Pei judged that further delay could allow the old demon to recover more vitality. He left the other Demon Kings to Yang and the remaining generals and resolved to visit Yellow Wind Mountain himself 221 227.

Before Yang departed, Pei stressed that preserving his life came first against an unbeatable enemy and added that he could lie low if something happened in Qingzhou. These warnings marked a more explicit concern for Yang’s survival than he had previously expressed 227.

Pei then ascended Yellow Wind Mountain openly in black armor and a red cloak. He swept aside the gate guards, crushed the opposition of its Demon Kings, and demanded the Yellow Wind Demon King’s whereabouts. When the surviving demons disclosed that their ruler had left, Pei inferred that he had gone to Lotus Flower Temple to seek Xuan Zhen’s assistance. He killed the two informants and hurried back to Qingzhou 227 228.

The Yellow Wind Demon King returned to find the mountain’s defenders slaughtered, apart from a survivor who had hidden inside a stone wall. Enraged, he resolved to destroy Guanlan Commandery in retaliation, deliberately targeting the jurisdiction Pei had spent his life defending 238.

Forced Breakthrough and Battle with Xuan Zhen

Pei urgently recalled the generals to Qingzhou after the Yellow Wind Demon King left his mountain. He also sent Lu Changgeng a separately sealed personal letter; after reading it, Lu concluded that it would be better for Yang to return only after matters were settled. The letter’s full contents are not disclosed 235.

In Qingzhou City, Li Hanguang brought demon cores from the Division’s storehouse. Qin Lie warned that swallowing them could contaminate a martial artist’s Mystic Core, halt further cultivation, or cause worse consequences. Nevertheless, as Buddhist chanting sounded and Qin Lie left to respond, Pei swallowed a core and asked Li to guard him 237.

While Xuan Zhen gravely wounded Qin Lie, Pei forced the Dao Embryo nurtured by his gold and earth patterns to its limit. Lacking the reserves for a conventional breakthrough, he used violent demonic essence to shatter his Mystic Core and form a gold-and-black Dao Infant. He immediately moved to shield Qin Lie and attacked Xuan Zhen with his spear 244.

Xuan Zhen recognized the resolve required for the breakthrough but declared Pei’s foundation destroyed. He restrained Pei’s spear lights with Buddha-light chains, found an opening, and struck his chest. Pei crashed into the Division’s courtyard, his chest caved in and his Dao Infant cracked, but still forced himself upright amid the ruins 244.

Yang arrived after killing the Yellow Wind Demon King. Pei recognized the Golden Kite accompanying him and quietly asked whether Yellow Wind was dead, then reflected on how little time had passed since their first meeting at the Guanlan River. Although gravely injured, he reassured Yang that he was all right 245.

After Yang defeated Xuan Zhen and the monk’s Dao Infant fled, Pei forced his injured body to catch up and offered to perform the final killing himself. Having already killed the Buddha’s Son and become an enemy of Lotus Flower Temple, he wanted the resulting debt assigned to him rather than to Yang. Yang recognized the instability of Pei’s Dao Infant, refused, and pursued Xuan Zhen himself 247.

Appearance

• Black armor and red cloak: Wears these when returning to Guanlan Commandery from a demon-suppression expedition 153.
• Spear-bearing rider: Travels with a long spear beside his horse, accompanied on that return by only a few wounded deputy generals 153.
• Oppressive presence: Even his casually released aura makes the Liquid Condensation Realm Yang Xiao feel as though a mountain is pressing against his chest 62.
• Campaign fatigue: At the northwestern border encampment, he appears thinner than when Yang last saw him, with persistent weariness between his brows but an unchanged calm gaze 227.
• Dao-Infant breakthrough manifestation: Golden light blazes in his eyes while sharp Metal Qi and black demonic Sha surround him 244.

Personality

Pei is composed, blunt, and uncompromising about demons eating humans. He accepts that demonic beings may exist under the Division’s rules, but refuses to treat their services or powerful relatives as permission to prey on civilians. His response to the Flood Dragon Lord combines contempt for its excuses with a firm insistence on accountability 61.

He keeps his promises while expecting subordinates to prove themselves. He honors Yang Xiao’s offered appointment but uses Blackstone Ridge to determine his capabilities and establish his standing. His consideration is often understated: Old Zhao explains that Pei had allowed Lü Heng time to resolve the same problem rather than press him over repeated failures 154.

Protecting his soldiers is a defining priority. The Old Flood Dragon deliberately attacks them to exploit this concern, yet Pei also refuses to purchase peace by surrendering Yang Xiao 192.

His trust is accompanied by personal accountability. When Yang’s rapid advancement attracts suspicion, Pei listens to the objections before accepting sole responsibility for any future problem with his appointment. Later, he entrusts Yang with eliminating Demon Kings while explicitly prioritizing his survival 199 209 227.

Pei is willing to sacrifice his own cultivation prospects to defend Qingzhou and repay Qin Lie’s protection. He accepts the dangers of consuming demon cores and forces his breakthrough when Qin Lie is defeated. Even after suffering grave injuries, he tries to take responsibility for killing Xuan Zhen so that Yang will not inherit his old feud with Lotus Flower Temple 237 244 247.

Abilities & Skills

Earth Core Illumination

Pei uses earth-aligned core illumination to alter the battlefield rather than merely project force 192 193.

• Compacts soft river flats and makes airborne sand heavy 192.
• Densifies the ground and surrounding moisture, turning the illuminated area into favorable terrain 193.
• Suppresses waves, crushes water columns, and slows the Old Flood Dragon’s movements 193 194.
• Forms an invisible hand capable of gripping the dragon’s horn and hauling it from the river 194.
• Scatters the dragon’s gathered water essence, preventing it from forming further water columns 194.
• Uses Core Illumination Light to sweep aside Yellow Wind Mountain’s guards and pin Demon Kings down for execution with his spear 227 228.

Gold-Powered Spear Combat

His golden pill-pattern power supplies the piercing and cutting force used alongside his earth-based restraint 193 194.

• Cuts the Old Flood Dragon’s forefoot to the bone and pierces its armored head 193.
• Shatters a barrage of water blades and carves a rift hundreds of feet long through the river 193.
• Tears apart protective scales, pins the dragon to the bank, and delivers the final beheading strike 194.

Mountain-Suppressing Spear Art

Pei practiced this Aperture-Opening Realm spear art in his youth and personally inscribed the manual he gave Yang Xiao. It emphasizes immense, stable force against large demons 70 72.

• Forms: Mountain Suppression, Army-Breaker, Dragon-Pinning, Mountain-Shattering, and Sun-Piercing 72.
• Mechanism: Mobilizes numerous apertures together to concentrate their spiritual power into a heavy spear thrust 72.

Demonic Baleful Intent Dao Infant

Pei’s Dao Infant develops from the Dao Embryo nurtured by his twin gold and earth patterns, but his eventual breakthrough relies on demonic essence rather than adequate conventional reserves. The resulting Dao Infant is gold and black, and his manifested power combines sharp Metal Qi with black demonic Sha 244.

• Forced core shattering: Uses demonic Sha to break his Mystic Core and enter the Dao-Infant Realm during Xuan Zhen’s assault 244.
• Dao-Infant spear attacks: Challenges Xuan Zhen immediately after advancing, projecting spear lights that the monk restrains with Buddha-light chains 244.
• Foundation damage: Qin Lie warns beforehand that a forced breakthrough would harm his future foundation; after the breakthrough, Xuan Zhen judges that foundation to be destroyed 202 244.
• Post-injury instability: Xuan Zhen cracks his Dao Infant, and its presence subsequently fluctuates between strength and weakness. Pei can still fly and catch up with Yang, but only by forcing his gravely injured body onward 244 247.

Mobility and Cultivation Perception

• High-speed interception: Crosses several hundred meters almost instantly to intercept the fleeing Flood Dragon Lord 62.
• Flight: Fights above the Guanlan River and later rises into the air against the Old Flood Dragon 62 193.
• Realm assessment: Recognizes Yang Xiao’s cultivation with a glance at both Liquid Condensation and Mysterious Core 62 153.
• Breakthrough assessment: Observes Yang’s breakthrough radiance from several li away and recognizes that his initial Core Illumination range rivals that of some perfected practitioners 197.

Command and Instruction

• Identifies the disappearance of multiple Baisha outposts as systematic destruction of border defenses rather than ordinary raiding 160.
• Orders Yang to retreat and report if his investigation reveals an enemy beyond his ability 159.
• Explains that Core Illumination gradually illuminates the practitioner’s body and uses the self as the center for influencing the surrounding world 195.
• Coordinates Qingzhou’s generals and allocates Demon King targets while personally watching Yellow Wind Mountain 209 227.
• Recognizes that the Longevity-Extending Treasure Lotus makes continued delay dangerous and acts to determine how much strength the Yellow Wind Demon King has recovered 227.
• Rations the medicine used to restore Qin Lie’s lucidity 209.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Army-Breaking Spear — A weapon Pei frequently used in his youth. He leaves it embedded in the Flood Dragon Lord, then gives it to Yang Xiao after the latter uses it to finish the demon 62 64 151.
• Mountain-Suppressing Spear Art manual — Personally inscribed and sent to Yang as a gift; its handwritten strokes are described as sharp and forceful 70 72.
• Later combat spear — The spear he wields against the Old Flood Dragon after gifting the Army-Breaking Spear to Yang; its name is not supplied 192 193.
• Qingzhou topographic maps — Used to track threatened locations and plan deployments 159 160.
• Demon King lair map and Yao Qi traces — Provides Yang with marked targets and auras for the campaign to clear Demon Kings from Qingzhou’s commanderies and borders 209.
• Demon cores from the Division storehouse — Brought by Li Hanguang and consumed as dangerous aids to Pei’s forced Dao-Infant breakthrough 237 244.
• Personally sealed letter to Lu Changgeng — Sent separately from the urgent recall order; its contents remain undisclosed 235.

Relationships

• Yang Xiao — Protégé and former deputy general. Pei recognizes his promise, supplies a weapon and spear manual, brings him into his command, and protects him from the Old Flood Dragon 64 70 159 192. He later gives Yang the Old Flood Dragon’s core, sponsors his appointment as Qingzhou’s fourteenth Demon Suppression General, and accepts personal responsibility for the decision. After being injured by Xuan Zhen, he tries to spare Yang the consequences of killing a Lotus Flower Temple monk 194 199 247.
• Qin Lie — Qingzhou’s Governor-General. Pei shoulders the province’s defense during Qin Lie’s mental and cultivation decline 151 153. Qin Lie had defended him in the dispute over Xuan Zhen’s slain disciple and suffered a grave soul injury. Pei acknowledges how much Qin Lie has borne for him and shields him immediately after forcing his Dao-Infant breakthrough 238 244.
• Shen Jingxian — Former fellow deputy general in the Demon-Slaying Battalion; Pei rose ahead of him 104.
• Lü Heng — Subordinate deputy general. Pei gives him time to resolve the Blackstone Ridge failure rather than immediately press him 154.
• Old Zhao — Trusted subordinate assigned to escort Yang to Blackstone Ridge; speaks admiringly of Pei’s judgment and consideration 154.
• Old Flood Dragon — Longstanding adversary at the Canglan River. Their confrontation ends with Pei killing it after it emerges to claim Yang Xiao 190 192 194.
• Li Hanguang — Fellow Division official who handles appointments and Merit records. He implements Yang’s promotion at Pei’s direction, sends urgent intelligence concerning the Treasure Lotus, and guards Pei during his dangerous demon-core-assisted breakthrough preparation 199 221 237.
• Lu Changgeng — Fellow Demon Suppression General who recognizes Pei’s former weapon and supports Yang’s promotion. Pei coordinates his Demon King assignments and sends him a separately sealed personal letter during the recall to Qingzhou 119 199 227 235.
• Lu Zhengyi — Sanbao Commandery’s Demon Suppression General. He challenges Yang’s nomination, but Pei overrides his objections by accepting responsibility for Yang’s appointment 199.
• Yellow Wind Demon King — Major enemy threatening Qingzhou’s northwestern border. Pei destroys the defenders of Yellow Wind Mountain while its ruler seeks Xuan Zhen’s help, prompting the demon to target Guanlan Commandery in retaliation 227 228 238.
• Xuan Zhen — Lotus Flower Temple monk and longstanding enemy whose chosen successor Pei killed. The feud contributed to Qin Lie’s decline and Qingzhou’s prolonged troubles. Xuan Zhen gravely injures Pei immediately after his Dao-Infant breakthrough; Pei later offers to take responsibility for killing the fleeing monk rather than let Yang inherit the feud 223 238 244 247.

Notable Quotes

“The Demon Suppression Division allows demonic entities to exist, but not for them to eat people.” 61

“The Guanlan River is the territory of the Demon Suppression Division, not the territory of the Dragon Race.” 61

“If I grant you the position of Deputy General, do you dare take it?” 64

“When did you get the illusion that I would agree?” — Rejecting the Old Flood Dragon’s demand for Yang Xiao’s life 192

“If we discover any problem with him in the future, I alone will bear responsibility.” — Supporting Yang Xiao’s appointment as a Demon Suppression General 199

“Remember, if you encounter an enemy you cannot defeat, keeping yourself alive comes first.” — Warning Yang Xiao before ascending Yellow Wind Mountain 227

“Let me do it.” — Offering to kill Xuan Zhen’s fleeing Dao Infant and bear the consequences himself 247

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