Emperor Zhetian

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Emperor Zhetian (泽天大帝)
Alias(es)	Sacred Emperor; Heavenly Emperor 559 717
Species/Race	Reincarnated former High God living through mortal vessels 679 684
Gender	Male 614
Affiliation	Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom, also called Eastern Splendor; Eastern Splendor Royal Family; Twelve Holy Envoys 546 551 614
Occupation/Role	Last ruler of the Eastern Radiance Ancient Kingdom; architect of its golden age; later ruler of a revived Eastern Splendor 551 626
Birthplace	City of Eternal Night 441
Status	Destroyed—both body and soul cease to exist 721
First Appearance	Referenced in the supplied passages in Chapter 275; directly encounters Yang Qing in a dream in Chapter 614 275 614

Power Progression

No numbered cultivation realm is given for Zhetian’s mortal incarnations; the documented milestones concern his divine status, reincarnation, and possession.

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
High God of the Heavenly Realm	717	Attained High God status through ten thousand years of cultivation. Encountered and subjugated Jiangli after ascending.
Mortal reincarnation as Emperor Zhetian	679	The Black Tortoise Deputy General identifies the original emperor as the reincarnation of a former exalted god. An unknown disruption later broke his succession.
Rebirth in Gongsun Ze’s body	620 621	His attempt to possess Yang Qing is interrupted by Mu Feng; his soul instead enters Gongsun Ze and replaces the soul within that vessel.
Complete control of Gongsun Ze’s vessel	641	Demonstrates full command of the acquired body. This restores his ability to act physically, but does not eliminate the vessel’s later rejection problems.

Background / History

Divine Origins

Before becoming Emperor Zhetian, he was a High God of the Heavenly Court. His mortal incarnations followed a punishment that sent him down to undergo trials. Across countless reincarnations, he devised ways to avoid returning to the Heavenly Court or entering the Netherworld 679 684.

Shortly after attaining High God status, he forced Jiangli into a contract and used the Divine Beast against his opponents. He eventually sent it against a stronger beast, then refused to expend soul power to heal its fatal injuries. Jiangli invoked the laws of Heaven and Earth after dying, sacrificing its soul to demand his ruin. The curse temporarily stripped Zhetian of his High God status, but he found ways to continue stealing bodies and returning to life while Jiangli slept for ten thousand years 717.

The Eastern Splendor Golden Age

Historical accounts describe Zhetian’s reign as an age of military supremacy, prosperity, and peace, with the lands beneath the four seas united under Eastern Splendor. He swore to find every possible means of preserving the kingdom for future generations 356.

According to legend, Zhetian traveled to Immortal Island with only a few trusted followers to retrieve a Heavenly Stone that others feared as a disastrous omen. Yang Qing later speculates that its secrets were connected to the Twelve Holy Envoys 485.

Zhetian was remembered as Eastern Splendor’s most powerful emperor, but also its shortest-reigning final ruler. He died unexpectedly in his prime, only a few years after obtaining the Heavenly Stone. His death became a taboo subject, and the kingdom descended into a century of internal conflict before fragmenting into rival nations 356 551 552.

His twelve most valued subordinates—the Twelve Holy Envoys—scattered after his fall rather than remaining to defend the kingdom. Their disappearance was recorded in Eastern Splendor’s Final Secret Archive 546.

Enduring Influence

Five hundred years after his reported death, Zhetian remained an object of worship. The successor kingdoms inherited many possessions and customs from his era, while Eastern Radiance Remnants and the Tomb Keepers continued to treat his words as unquestionable authority 490 559 601.

A biography claimed that virtuous and talented people could be chosen by Zhetian, taught extraordinary arts, and become the next sovereign. Finding his treasures and gathering Eastern Splendor’s tokens supposedly identified the destined successor. Yang Qing instead recognized how effectively this promise could draw later generations into the emperor’s arrangements 356.

Appearance

• Original presence: Retains an imposing imperial bearing even in dream encounters; his frame is broader than Yang Qing’s 614.
• Signs of weakness: His dream figure briefly wavers as though a gust of wind could disperse it 614.
• Soul manifestation: Appears as a masked man during the attempted possession of Yang Qing, although his original physical body has already turned to dust 620.
• Possessed body: Wears Gongsun Ze’s face, distinguished by a ruthlessness absent from its original owner 641.
• Later transformation: Develops an increasingly sinister aura and eyes filled largely with blood-red color 711.

Personality

Zhetian equates authority with entitlement. He expects reverence, treats Yang Qing’s ancestral connection to Eastern Splendor as a claim over his life, and regards possession of Yang Qing’s body as fulfillment of an inherited obligation rather than theft 614 620 720.

His ambition extends beyond restoring an empire. Repeated rebirths, warfare, and manipulation serve his pursuit of immortality and a return to the Heavenly Realm. He trusts himself more than the experts gathered beneath his banner and is described as ruthless toward both others and himself 681 700.

He can admire resistance without respecting the resister’s freedom. Yang Qing’s composure repeatedly earns his approval, and the novelty of an opponent who refuses obedience makes him reluctant to kill Yang immediately. This interest does not prevent him from threatening Yang’s companions or insisting that his body belongs to the emperor 615 642 715.

Zhetian shows some concern for subjects suffering after an earthquake, but combines relief work with coercion and an effort to keep Yang Qing occupied. His final decision to help the group escape likewise occurs only after he realizes that a higher power has exploited his own schemes 642 720.

Abilities & Skills

Reincarnation and Body Possession

• Sustains his existence through repeated body-snatching and rebirth across countless lifetimes 700.
• Can direct his soul toward a new vessel and replace its occupant, as demonstrated with Gongsun Ze 620 621.
• Considers Yang Qing’s body the most compatible vessel he has found and seeks his Flesh Embryo to return to the Heavenly Realm 700 715.
• Cannot fully correct the imperfections of acquired bodies; Gongsun Ze’s vessel periodically rejects him 702 711.

Divine Soul and Mental Influence

• Appears repeatedly in Yang Qing’s dreams and unlocks a restricted ancestral scroll there 614 615.
• Sends his Divine Soul to act away from his physical body; a single projected palm strike fatally destroys Qin Yue’s heart meridians 633.
• Speaks directly into Yang Qing’s mind without moving his lips, concealing their final conversation from observers 720.

Bloodline Mark

• Uses a soul mark within Yang Qing’s bloodline to influence his life and facilitate a possible takeover 710.
• Detects a change when the mark is erased; a crystal ball in his possession shatters 711.
• Claims that residual influence remains in the companions’ bodies even after their marks are severed 717.

Spatial Teleportation

• Travels through spatial fissures, emerging from a vortex during the final confrontation 712.
• The technique requires immense inner power and intimate knowledge of space 712.
• Repeated use consumes Innate Power, which is difficult to replenish once depleted. Yang Qing uses this limitation to withstand an earlier confrontation 641.

Martial and Spiritual Power

• Applies overwhelming pressure that injures Yang Qing’s companions while deliberately leaving his desired vessel unharmed 713.
• Adapts his strikes to send inner power through Black Tortoise Heavy Armor rather than attacking the armor directly 714.
• Conjures a ring of light that pins opponents to the ground and leaves them bleeding and barely able to breathe 714.
• Slightly heals the dying Bu Er to preserve him as leverage against Yang Qing 716.

Imperial Strategy and Forbidden Schemes

• Personally leads 100,000 troops to victory against a million enemy soldiers, more than doubling the revived empire’s territory 626.
• Manipulates events and individual destinies long after his historical death 598 700.
• Fuels warfare to obtain powerful Evil Spirits from battlefield deaths 700.
• Exploits loopholes in the laws of Heaven and Earth to conceal his repeated rebirths 716.

Limitations and Vulnerabilities

• Imperfect soul–body union: Hidden cracks make him especially vulnerable to the Soul-Splitting Formation 716.
• Finite remaining lifespan: Despite his accumulated years, repeated body-snatching leaves him with fewer than a hundred years to live 700.
• Restricted ascension opportunity: Jiangli says he has only one chance to return to the Heavenly Realm and must wait for favorable conditions 702.
• Attachment to Yang Qing’s vessel: His desire to preserve the body discourages him from attacking Yang Qing with full force 712 715.
• Formation restraint: Thousand-Gold Fall sharply reduces his mobility while the Soul-Splitting Formation exposes and worsens his instability 716 717.
• Heavenly punishment: His weakened condition allows Heavenly Law to capture him and drain his cultivation 718 719.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Heaven-Shaking Hammer — Divine weapon in his possession; its might exceeds that of the Nine-Section Whip 681.
• Inkcloud Armor — Historical treasure reserved for his use; associated with the City of Eternal Night and portraits of an armored rider 439 441.
• Cloud-Piercing Armor — Life-preserving armor he was known to wear. It disappeared after his fall and later appears on a man explicitly identified as someone else 495.
• Heavenly Stone — According to legend, retrieved from Immortal Island and brought into his possession; its true secret initially remains unknown 485.
• Parchment Scroll — Granted to the Yang family and sealed with a restriction he can remove. Records the family’s sacrificial duty and bears his seal 614 615.
• Crystal balls — One shatters after Yang Qing’s mark is erased; another is used to torment Gongsun Ru and Hui Niang before he destroys it, killing them 711.
• Time Scroll — Delivers memories of the Primordial Era and his final explanation after his destruction, then crumbles 721.

Relationships

• Yang Qing — Intended sacrificial vessel and principal opponent. Zhetian admires his character but repeatedly tries to claim his body; their final encounter ends with a concealed warning that lets Yang escape 614 620 715 720.
• Yang clan — Established to perform sacrificial rites and preserve the Eastern Splendor Royal Family’s bloodline. The obligation extends to every direct descendant 614 615.
• Fan family — Inherited a secret duty to protect Yang descendants, preserving the support system around the sacrificial lineage 615.
• Gongsun Ze — Royal descendant selected through Zhetian’s prophecy and ultimately used as his rebirth vessel. Willingly yields his body to the emperor 621 641.
• Gongsun Ru — Descendant and loyal supporter who helps obstruct Yang Qing’s rescuers and later delivers Zhetian’s decree. Zhetian ultimately kills her alongside Hui Niang 615 620 643 711.
• Jiangli — Former forcibly contracted Divine Beast. Zhetian abandoned it to die; its curse and later intervention help bring about his downfall 717 718.
• Chasing Wind — Famous personal steed. Found barely alive centuries later, sustained by a Longevity Gu implanted in its neck 439 441.
• Twelve Holy Envoys — His twelve most valued subordinates; they scattered after his historical death 546.
• Qin Yue — Sacred Emperor’s Envoy who risks helping Yang Qing’s group escape. Zhetian kills him as a warning against interference 632 633.
• Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou — Yang Qing’s protectors and opponents of Zhetian’s possession scheme. He attacks them and uses Bu Er’s life to pressure Yang Qing 620 713 716.
• Mu Feng — Interrupts the attempted possession of Yang Qing. An imperial strike permanently destroys his martial foundation 620 626.
• Black Tortoise — Divine enemy whose lingering resentment seeks to destroy Zhetian’s ability to reincarnate through the Black Tortoise Heavy Armor 679.
• Heavenly Law — Secretly permits and exploits his schemes before moving to seize his accumulated power. Zhetian’s last intervention disrupts its intended outcome 719 721 750.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Investigation of the Sacred Emperor’s Return

• Followers lure Yang Qing’s group to the City of Eternal Night, where Chasing Wind’s unnatural survival reveals the persistence of Zhetian’s legacy 441.
• The companions suspect that the coming nine-star alignment may enable his resurrection. Yang Qing also theorizes that contact with Holy Envoy Tokens may prepare the companions themselves as sacrifices 559.
• Zhetian enters Yang Qing’s dreams, reveals the Yang family’s origins, and directs him to remain in Upside-Down City for an approaching task 614 615.
• A rumor of the Sacred Emperor’s reincarnation draws the group toward the Sacred Mountain 616.

Possession and Renewed Conquest

• Zhetian attempts to take Yang Qing’s body, invoking the family’s sacrificial destiny. Mu Feng’s intervention diverts the outcome, and Zhetian returns in Gongsun Ze’s body 620 621.
• His renewed campaigns devastate surrounding regions despite their enormous military success. He spares one surrendered city because it contains ancient sites 626.
• The conquered cities form a phoenix-shaped route with its eye at Xiangyang’s ancestral resting place, where a Heavenly Stone is said to hold the secret of immortality. The companions infer that conquest serves a deeper purpose 627.
• After killing Qin Yue to discourage interference, Zhetian confronts Yang Qing over sabotage of his resentment-gathering scheme and later appoints him City Lord of Xiangyang 633 641 643.

Rosy Cloud Mountain

• Conflicting sightings lead Yang Qing to infer that one apparent Zhetian is an impostor and that the real emperor is preparing a route back to the Heavenly Realm at Rosy Cloud Mountain 698.
• Jiangli confirms that the emperor’s unstable vessel delays him. The group rejects flight and prepares to exploit his bodily flaws 702 711.
• Erasing Yang Qing’s bloodline mark accelerates the confrontation. Zhetian kills Gongsun Ru and Hui Niang, then approaches the companions through spatial teleportation 710 711 712.

Final Battle and Destruction

• Zhetian overwhelms the companions but is maneuvered into the Soul-Splitting Formation. Jiangli’s interventions push him farther into the trap, and Thousand-Gold Fall restricts his movement 713 715 716 717.
• After recognizing Jiangli, he invokes their surviving contract and tries to kill it. Yang Qing shields the beast while Zhetian’s power drains and heavenly lightning begins striking him 718.
• Heavenly Law confines him and reveals its desire to appropriate his accumulated power. Zhetian obtains permission to approach the companions by claiming he wants their blood essence before dying 719.
• Instead, he privately warns Yang Qing to take everyone into the woods and remain there until dawn. A public strike conceals the exchange and releases the others 720.
• Zhetian vanishes under the storm. His Time Scroll confirms the destruction of his body and soul, exposes Heavenly Law’s manipulation of the formations, and explains that his last intervention left Yang Qing an anomaly it cannot harm without proof 721.
• The companions also learn that Zhetian’s influence has extended their lives by centuries while preserving their present appearance 721.

Notable Quotes

“Born for sacrifice. Today, your mission comes to an end.” 620

“Your fleshly body belongs to me, yet you dare damage it?” 715

“I should know that the rules of this world are made by the strong.”
“And I happen to be the strongest in this world.” 714