Dongfang Su

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Dongfang Su had occupied the throne for over fifty years when introduced. His rule was credited with bringing the Heavenly Martial Dynasty to the height of its prosperity and placing it first among the seven nations of the Southern Wilderness 8.

An ancestor of the Dongfang imperial clan formed a karmic bond with a flood dragon, securing the flood dragon clan’s protection for subsequent generations. A young flood dragon still slept in the palace’s forbidden grounds. Despite his imperial position and profound cultivation, Dongfang Su treated it with utmost deference 8 10.

Appearance

• Build and face: A weathered elderly man with a thin face and an underlying air of majesty 8.
• Eyes: A faint golden light flickers in them 8.
• Clothing: Wears yellow robes at his introduction 8.
• Facial hair: Has a beard, which he strokes while considering Chu Yanyu’s predicament 15.

Personality

Dongfang Su retains an emperor’s pride: when introduced to Ye Qingyun after Xu Changfeng, he straightens up rather than let his presence be overshadowed by a sect master. Nevertheless, he readily shows respect toward those he believes surpass him, even delaying his first visit to avoid disturbing Ye Qingyun’s seclusion 10 11.

He reacts angrily upon learning that the Song Clan has been oppressing Prince Pingxi’s household without his knowledge. During the three-dynasty invasion, he recognizes the danger of personally entering the battlefield, but ultimately resolves to lead the campaign after the initial defense fails 15 44 45.

His gratitude toward Ye Qingyun also has a political dimension. He offers national treasures in thanks for the dynasty’s rescue and views their acceptance as an opportunity to secure a powerful protector for his country 47 49.

Abilities & Skills

Martial Cultivation

Dongfang Su possesses the highest cultivation in the Heavenly Martial Dynasty at his introduction, though his exact realm is not stated 8.

• His cultivation had stagnated for years before Ye Qingyun’s hot pot stimulated signs of progress and granted him sudden enlightenment 12 13.
• He does not claim a guaranteed advantage against the nine leading foreign experts approaching Floating Cloud Mountain, each described as being at the Heaven-Reaching Realm or above 50.

Spiritual Perception

He can sense powerful spiritual phenomena from the imperial capital 8 9.

• Detected Dragon Qi approximately one thousand li to the southwest 8.
• Recognized that it was more than ten times denser than the Dragon Qi within his palace; its pressure made even his bloodline tremble 8.
• Sensed Guyue’s return to the palace and immediately summoned him 9.

Flight

• Flies from the imperial capital to Floating Cloud Mountain alongside Guyue 48.

Imperial Command

• Directs military deployments and orders the restoration of the Eastern Realm’s defenses 44 47.
• Commands the three great sects to support Ye Qingyun, explicitly threatening punishment for noncompliance 50.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Dragon carriage — An airborne carriage used for his first visit to Floating Cloud Mountain 10 11.
• Imperial token — Entrusted to Guyue when sending him to request Ye Qingyun’s assistance against the invasion 44.
• Heaven-Plundering Sword — One of the Southern Wilderness’s three famed swords, forged by Ou Yezi two thousand years earlier and preserved by the Heavenly Martial Dynasty. Dongfang Su gives it to Ye Qingyun, who passes it to Guo Xiaoyun 49.
• Soft armor from Great Tang — Acquired through envoys Dongfang Su sent to the Great Tang Empire in the Eastern Lands. Presented alongside the sword and likewise passed to Guo Xiaoyun 49.

Relationships

• Guyue — Personal guard and trusted emissary. Investigates the Dragon Qi, conveys requests to Ye Qingyun, and reports on foreign threats 8 9 44 50.
• Ye Qingyun — Revered as an unfathomable hidden master. Dongfang Su credits him with saving the dynasty and seeks to maintain his goodwill 13 47 49.
• Chu Yanyu — Daughter of Chu Tianchuan, whom Dongfang Su last saw when she was five or six. He agrees to intervene against the Song Clan on her household’s behalf 11 15.
• Xu Changfeng — Sect master known personally to Dongfang Su. They visit Ye Qingyun together, both attain enlightenment, and agree to address the Song Clan’s backers 11 13 15.
• Guo Xiaoyun — Ye Qingyun’s disciple. After witnessing Ye Qingyun give him two national treasures, Dongfang Su decides that cultivating a good relationship with the boy would also be worthwhile 48 49.
• He Yun — Grand general entrusted with four hundred thousand troops to halt the allied invasion 44.
• Huikong and the monks — Recipients of imperial rewards issued at Ye Qingyun’s request after the invasion 49.
• Palace flood dragon — A beneficiary of the imperial clan’s ancestral bond with the flood dragons; Dongfang Su treats it with exceptional respect 8 10.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Discovering the Master of Floating Cloud Mountain

Dongfang Su sends Guyue to investigate an extraordinary strand of Dragon Qi southwest of the capital. Upon hearing that a true dragon lives within his territory, he initially hopes to obtain it. Guyue’s report that the dragon apparently submits to Ye Qingyun transforms that excitement into shock and caution 8 9 10.

After waiting half a month to avoid disturbing the supposed master, Dongfang Su visits Floating Cloud Mountain. He encounters Xu Changfeng, Chu Yanyu, and Bai Suyi, who have come to see the same person, and joins them for Ye Qingyun’s hot pot. The meal grants him sudden enlightenment, prompting him to thank Ye Qingyun for the gift 10 11 12 13.

Intervening Against the Song Clan

At Ye Qingyun’s request, Dongfang Su agrees to question Chancellor Cao Huayuan about his support for the Song Clan’s persecution of Prince Pingxi’s household. Xu Changfeng separately undertakes to address the Supreme Hao Gate. Both backers subsequently sever ties with the Song Clan 15 31.

The Three-Dynasty Invasion

When the Nebula, Purple Sun, and Phoenix Dance dynasties invade with a million-strong allied army, Dongfang Su dispatches He Yun with three hundred thousand Tiger Guard soldiers and one hundred thousand imperial guards. His immediate objective is to contain the enemy in the Eastern Realm rather than demand a decisive victory 43 44.

He also sends Guyue to seek Ye Qingyun’s help. He Yun’s defeat within a day and Ye Qingyun’s refusal leave Dongfang Su believing that he has failed to cultivate a sufficiently close relationship with the master. He resolves to lead the campaign himself 44 45.

Before that campaign proceeds, a true dragon routs the invaders at Floating Cloud Mountain. Dongfang Su attributes the rescue to Ye Qingyun, orders the eastern defensive line rebuilt, and visits with precious gifts. He subsequently rewards the monks at Ye Qingyun’s request 47 48 49.

Supporting Ye Qingyun Against Foreign Experts

After Guyue reports that more than thirty foreign martial experts are approaching Floating Cloud Mountain, Dongfang Su orders the Mystic Sword Sect, Nine Spirits Sect, and Supreme Hao Gate to support Ye Qingyun. His unusually severe command makes attendance mandatory under threat of punishment 50.

Notable Quotes

“To think that even at my current cultivation, I could still attain sudden enlightenment. This hot pot meal was truly worthwhile.” 13

“I shall personally lead the campaign!” 45

Trivia

• Ye Qingyun’s claim that he defeated Dongfang Su with one finger before the emperor’s accession is explicitly part of a fabricated bluff, not an established event in Dongfang Su’s past 36.