Emperor Yongchang

Biodata

Power Progression

• Further advancement remains prospective: After the Empress’s failed possession, Yongchang retains most of her cultivation and memories. He expects to reach mid Celestial Phenomena after recovering, and later considers late Celestial Phenomena attainable; neither breakthrough is confirmed in the supplied passages 423 424.

Background / History

Training and accession

As a young imperial prince, Yongchang received instruction from the Empress. She advised him to exploit his Innate Charming Bone and princely status: win powerful women’s support, then use their assistance to secure the realm. She also directed him toward Yan Shuang, the future Heavenly Queen 413.

Yongchang took the throne through an armed victory at Xuanwu Gate. He later recalled killing his eldest brother, the former Crown Prince, with his own hands; subsequent passages establish that he also killed a younger brother there. He spared the Retired Emperor, leaving a rival who continued seeking restoration 164 177 193 375.

Assassination injury and supposed heirs

An assassination attempt by Thousand Faces severely injured Yongchang’s “imperial root,” leaving him unable to have intercourse. He sought Jiang Ping’an’s medical help and became suspicious of Xie Guanhai’s proposed treatment after learning of Guanhai’s dealings with the Dragon Clan 99 154 164.

Meanwhile, Lianshan Xin’s blood resonated with Yongchang’s True Dragon Bloodline. Together with their apparently shared bewitching physique and the lack of conclusive birth records, this convinced Yongchang that Xin was his son 99 104.

This belief is mistaken. Lianshan Xin knows that neither he nor Xia Xunyang possesses the imperial bloodline; Xunyang is Jiang Buping’s biological son. Yongchang nevertheless treats both as his children and later transmits the Celestial Pole Sacred Dragon Bloodline Scripture to them, exhausting much of his vitality in the process 151 164 165.

Jiangzhou and the imperial clan problem

After Xin won Kuang Mountain’s immortal opportunity, Yongchang traveled to Jiangzhou to discuss his future. He had initially preferred Xunyang as a stabilizing influence, but accepted Xin’s victory and began considering him an instrument for stripping the imperial princes of power 154.

Yongchang regarded Great Yu’s vast, unproductive imperial clan as a threat to the dynasty’s survival. He hoped Xin’s Dragon-Slaying True Intent could eliminate obstructive relatives while strengthening Xin enough to become a Divine Emperor. His proposal combined genuine willingness to attack his own clan with an attempt to make Xin undertake the dangerous work of securing his realm 154 162 164 165.

In Jiangzhou, Yongchang also admitted that he had framed Jiang Ping’an during the succession struggle. He promised to withdraw the arrest warrant and provide compensation, although Xin pointed out that his need for medical treatment gave him a practical reason to reconcile 164.

Western Capital and frontier operations

Yongchang traveled incognito to the Western Capital after Xie Tianxia urged him to interfere with Xie Guanhai’s plans. There, he opposed the Di Hong Clan’s attempt to dictate the succession and refused Hong Zhu’s offer of support in exchange for making Xunyang Crown Prince 231 253.

At the Western Capital Governor’s Residence, enemies surrounded his party above a hundred buried Thunderclap Bombs. Yongchang remained composed, recalling the much greater danger of his original assault on the Imperial Palace 256.

He subsequently sent Xin and Qi Shiyun to the Miao Frontier to find the Evening Drum and investigate the Dingyuan Marquis. He also prepared Yi Anle to assume military command and agreed to replace Governor Yan Xiezhi while the Heavenly Queen investigated corruption and Divine Dragon Island’s influence 264 297.

Second battle at Xuanwu Gate

During the Retired Emperor’s renewed coup, Yongchang revealed the cultivation method he had kept hidden. The Empress Dowager’s death enabled him to inherit half her cultivation, advance to Celestial Phenomena, and overwhelm the opposing forces. The confrontation ended in the Retired Emperor’s death 373 374 375.

Afterward, Yongchang confronted the Crown Prince, only to feel movement inside his own abdomen. His Heaven-Seizing Woman Fist had also seized the Demon Womb carried by the deceased Crown Prince’s Consort. His initial shock gave way to consideration of whether refining it might bring him an extraordinary opportunity 374 375 405.

Succession plans and the Empress’s return

Yongchang later summoned Xunyang for a Crown Prince investiture. His plan was to support Xunyang’s Human Emperor Dao while helping Xin develop the Dragon Subjugation Way 397.

When the Empress offered him her cultivation and memories, Yongchang recognized the offer as an attempt at possession. His Heaven-Seizing Fist failed because she had helped modify it and could reverse its operation. Anticipating danger, he had already contacted Xin, whose intervention enabled him to survive 422.

Yongchang believed the Empress defeated and retained most of her cultivation and memories. In reality, her remnant soul escaped into his body, which became more swollen after the encounter. The Unborn Venerable Mother also perceived an omen of boy-girl twins in the Imperial Palace 422 423 424.

Appearance

• Face: Heroic features, thick eyebrows, and large eyes; Eunuch Wang considers his appearance exceptionally handsome 178.
• Constitution: Possesses an unusually powerful Innate Charming Bone, which Lianshan Jingcheng describes as a hundred times stronger than Xin’s acquired version 373.
• Later physical change: Develops an enlarged abdomen after seizing the Crown Prince’s Consort’s Demon Womb; his body becomes more swollen following the Empress’s possession attempt 374 397 422.

Personality

Yongchang is personable, adaptable, and unusually willing to acknowledge the limits of imperial authority. He accepts criticism, tolerates blunt subordinates, and recognizes that powerful cultivators are not inherently obliged to serve him. His courtesy is both a sincere governing principle and an effective means of securing loyalty 166 170 370 383.

His tolerance coexists with calculated manipulation. He admits knowingly allowing a false treason accusation against Feng Buyan as a way to manufacture gratitude, and he openly teaches Xin how mistreating someone before relenting can win their allegiance. He also fabricates rumors about the Retired Emperor’s parentage to weaken his prestige 186 419.

He is deeply promiscuous and highly confident in his attractiveness, but does not normally allow desire to override urgent business. His master’s instruction to avoid being ruled by his emotions remains a personal rule; when necessary, he can turn abruptly cold even toward lovers and relatives 135 229 422.

His affection for his children is real but conditional. He believes an emperor must place the dynasty and common people above family, and treats succession as a trial of ability rather than an entitlement. Xie Tianxia’s assessment captures the distinction: Yongchang is a good emperor, but not a good man 162 417.

Abilities & Skills

Innate Charming Bone

Yongchang’s innate physique greatly enhances his personal appeal 99 373.

• Influences men as well as women, contributing to his reputation and political relationships 310.
• Works especially effectively alongside his appearance, imperial status, and practiced charm 178 260.
• Is not irresistible: Xie Tianxia is notably unaffected, while He Miaojun also rejects the claim that his charm is overwhelming 373.
• Includes an exceptional talent for recognizing women by scent, which helps him identify his teacher’s true nature 422.

Celestial Pole Sacred Dragon Bloodline Scripture

A secret imperial cultivation method intended for bearers of the Xia bloodline 154 165.

• Yongchang transmits its core insights directly through cultivation and bloodline inheritance 165.
• Its practitioners gain bloodline suppression over ordinary members of the Dragon Clan 165.
• Serves as proof of imperial identity, making it central to Yongchang’s attempt to establish Xin and Xunyang as princes 154 165.
• Initiating both men into the art leaves Yongchang severely depleted and coughing blood 165.

True Dragon Bloodline

The Xia imperial bloodline possesses supernatural properties beyond its associated cultivation method 99 134 161.

• Blood resonance: Yongchang uses the reaction between his blood and Xin’s as evidence of kinship, believing even Immortals cannot counterfeit it 99.
• Poison immunity: The imperial family’s immunity to poisons contributes to his confidence in the palace’s security 134.
• Calamity warning: Members can sense approaching threats to the dynasty, though foreknowledge does not guarantee escape 161.

Heaven-Seizing Woman Fist

Yongchang obtained the Heaven-Seizing Fist through Blood Guanyin and had the Empress modify it into the Heaven-Seizing Woman Fist 373.

• Inheritance: Allows him to inherit half the abilities of a deceased woman with whom he has been intimate 373 374.
• Borrowing: Allows him to borrow half a living partner’s abilities with her consent 373.
• Embryo seizure: Transfers the Crown Prince’s Consort’s Demon Womb into his body 374 405.
• Power ceiling: Fails twice against the Heavenly Queen’s Buddha Embryo. Loli Pingxin identifies his art as an incomplete Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist, insufficient against Shakyamuni Buddha 405.
• Creator’s countermeasure: The Empress reverses its operation during her possession attempt, causing Yongchang to lose half his fighting strength 422.

Imperial Palace Divine Kingdom

• The Imperial Palace functions as Yongchang’s divine kingdom, granting Celestial Phenomena-equivalent power before his actual breakthrough 297.
• This advantage is location-dependent; outside the palace, his former strength remained that of a powerful Great Grandmaster 297.

Governance

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Son of Heaven Sword — His weapon during the encirclement at the Western Capital Governor’s Residence 256.
• Imperial robes — Keeps eight sets of dragon robes and eight sets of everyday clothes; Eunuch Wang confirms these numbers while beginning to mention the contents of his private treasury 260.

Relationships

• Heavenly Queen / Yan Shuang — Partner in rule and an intimate companion from his Jianghu days. Their relationship combines affection, argument, mutual accommodation, and her substantial independent power 99 198 297.
• Lianshan Xin — His supposed son and a favored candidate for reshaping Great Yu. Yongchang repeatedly mistakes Xin’s success for proof of their kinship; Xin later saves him from the Empress 104 162 422.
• Xia Xunyang — Another supposed son, actually fathered by Jiang Buping. Yongchang initially favors him for his balanced abilities, later supports Xin after Kuang Mountain, and eventually summons Xunyang for Crown Prince investiture 151 154 397.
• The Crown Prince — Son, heir, and political rival. Yongchang deliberately pressures him to test his fitness, but ultimately cannot bring himself to kill him after the second Xuanwu Gate conflict 110 162 375.
• The Empress — Secret teacher who shaped his methods and modified his cultivation art. Her eventual attempt to possess him exposes the hidden cost of her assistance 413 422 424.
• The Empress Dowager — Powerful political backer and intimate partner. Her death supplies the cultivation that enables his Celestial Phenomena breakthrough 193 373 374.
• The Retired Emperor — Father and persistent rival. Yongchang initially spares him, but kills him during the renewed struggle at Xuanwu Gate 193 374 375.
• Eunuch Wang — Inner Chancellor, close protector, and unusually candid attendant. Yongchang accepts his criticism and recognizes that Wang’s loyalty to Xie Tianxia does not prevent faithful service 154 178 370.
• Xie Tianxia — An influential supporter whose teachings Yongchang respects. Yongchang accepts Tianxia’s superior strength rather than demanding unquestioned supremacy 177 310.
• Lianshan Jingcheng — Physician treating his assassination injury. Yongchang persistently believes Jingcheng is Jiang Ping’an despite Jingcheng’s protests 166 174.
• Jiang Ping’an — Physician Yongchang admits framing during the succession struggle. Yongchang seeks reconciliation and trusts his medical skill and character more than Xie Guanhai’s 154 164.
• Thousand Faces — His assassin, later his intimate partner while impersonating the Princess Consort of the King of Jiujiang. Yongchang eventually tolerates the Heavenly Queen making use of Thousand Faces, while avoiding news about the disguise expert 164 239 310.
• Blood Guanyin — Source of the Heaven-Seizing Fist and a former intimate partner 373.
• Crown Prince’s Consort — His son’s wife and his secret lover; her death results in Yongchang seizing her unborn Demon Womb 110 374.

Notable Quotes

“The people look to me as their sovereign and father. Great Yu's thousand-year legacy matters more to me than ties of blood.” 162

“Ever since I became emperor, I've had neither lovers nor friends.” 186

“Even an emperor must treat his subordinates as people.” 370

“Damming the people's mouths is more dangerous than damming a river. I won't do it.” 419