Black Emperor

Biodata

Background / History

The Black Emperor followed Great Emperor Wushi and gained extensive knowledge of ancient arts, imperial formations, and treasures. His familiarity with Purple Mountain extends to concealed entrances, linked restrictions, and hidden teleportation nodes. Although he frequently boasts about his former position, his ability to navigate Wushi’s formations demonstrates genuine expertise 105 132 247.

His devotion to Wushi remains deeply personal. After the Beginningless Bell explains that the emperor departed to protect the world and that his present circumstances are unknown, the Black Emperor bows three times toward the bell and Wushi Dao Platform. Calling himself “Little Black,” he promises to await the emperor’s return 258.

Appearance

The Black Emperor is a large, powerfully built black dog, commonly described as sturdy as a calf, with glossy fur and conspicuously human expressions 108 221.

• Eyes: Large and round, repeatedly compared to copper bells 108 121.
• Posture: Frequently stands and walks on his hind legs, folding his forepaws, pointing, or planting a paw on his hip 105 108 221.
• Clothing: Wears gaudy, floral boxer shorts during his later travels 237 265.
• Voice: Speaks human language in a coarse, often mocking voice, punctuated by barking and howling 221 266.

Personality

Greedy, boastful, and shamelessly opportunistic, the Black Emperor treats almost every discovery as a chance to claim a share. He attempts to seize divine medicine at his first meeting with Li Qingshan, begs for access to the Qilin Seed, and argues that anyone who sees a treasure deserves some of it. Food, spirit wine, and rare medicines are particularly effective at attracting his attention 104 121 130 221.

He enjoys provoking others and watching disputes escalate. His lewd teasing of Lin Qingyao earns rebukes from Jade Pool’s elders, while his insults toward young cultivators help inflame public confrontations. His confidence is also highly practical: he backs down when confronted by superior strength and readily invokes Li Qingshan’s protection when it suits him 104 108 112 306 307.

Despite his abrasive manner, he is dependable when his companions are genuinely threatened. Ye Fan comes to trust him because he never abandons him in danger, helps stabilize his cultivation, and provides useful guidance beneath the insults. His secret preparation of an imperial killing formation to protect Li Qingshan likewise shows a willingness to spend a valuable trump card for an ally 132 221 222.

Abilities & Skills

Formation Mastery

Formation work is the Black Emperor’s most consistently demonstrated specialty, covering detection, concealment, restraint, defense, and transportation 132 135 245 247.

• God-Peering Array: Detects four hidden assassins, allowing him to warn Li Qingshan before their ambush 135.
• Concealment: Hides cultivation sites and masks entire groups from detection 106 247.
• Restraint: Uses concealed array patterns to paralyze a dying Ancient Race expert before the group takes his possessions 246.
• Defense: Spits out a formation pattern that shields himself, Ye Fan, and Duan De from most of a destructive shockwave 245.
• Restriction-breaking: Opens hidden doors, avoids linked killing formations, and activates concealed teleportation nodes inside Purple Mountain 247.
• Limits: His expertise does not let him ignore every barrier; restrictions at Jade Pool prevent him from following Li Qingshan or entering a protected courtyard 119 130.

Great Emperor Killing Formation Fragment

The Black Emperor can secretly arrange a damaged fragment of a genuine Great Emperor killing formation, using the terrain and veins of the void to conceal it 132.

• Produces a faint trace of extreme imperial majesty despite its incomplete state 132.
• Requires substantial expenditure and makeshift materials, making it one of his emergency trump cards 132.
• Is prepared against an Immortal Second Realm attacker, but remains unactivated after he realizes Li Qingshan has another means of fighting back 132.

Void Formations and Movement

He combines rapid movement techniques with specialized formations for infiltration and escape 133 247 301.

• Uses profound footwork to pursue Li Qingshan as a blurred streak of black light, though he only barely keeps up 133.
• Guides companions through short, nearly imperceptible void jumps using Purple Mountain’s hidden nodes 247.
• Carves void-crossing Dao patterns into Profound Jade; the initial materials available at Licheng limit his proposed escape formation to a thousand li 301.
• Later escapes with Ye Fan tens of thousands of li from Wushi’s stolen palace site. The one-use formation’s traces are erased amid the palace formations and battle turbulence 302.

Physical Strength and Demonic Power

His body is exceptionally powerful, attracting Lin Qingyao’s attention independently of his unusual bloodline 108.

• Channels demonic Qi into black-light claw attacks; his serious strike against Li Qingshan is described as tearing through space 104.
• Possesses considerable speed, strength, and physical toughness, but is decisively suppressed by Li Qingshan while in his “just-recovered” state 104.
• Kills an already dying Ancient Race expert with a paw strike after immobilizing him 246.

Treasure Detection and Appraisal

His keen nose detects medicinal fragrances, traces of Dao charm, and concealed valuables 104 109 249.

• Identifies the presence of divine precious liquid from its lingering scent 104.
• Notices Dao charm within an inconspicuous black rock at Jade Pool’s compound 109.
• Locates an abandoned treasure chamber while traveling toward the Beginningless Bell 249.
• Distinguishes a treasure bearing the Void Mirror’s Dao resonance from the true Emperor Weapon 224.
• Recognizes the supposed Hall of Light as one of Great Emperor Wushi’s former palaces 302.

Cultivation Instruction

The Black Emperor provides Ye Fan with cultivation advice and combat techniques, though their practical results depend heavily on Ye Fan’s cultivation and understanding 221.

• Heavenly Dog Devours the Moon: An offensive art that nearly exhausts Ye Fan’s Bitter Sea divine power when he attempts it 221.
• Heavenly Dog Meteor Steps: An escape technique that Ye Fan complains makes him run awkwardly and nearly destabilizes his Bitter Sea 221.
• Cultivation support: Helps stabilize Ye Fan’s Qi and blood after a cultivation mishap and gives pointers that Ye Fan finds highly beneficial 221.

Disguise

• Appears at Licheng transformed into a mangy-looking dog rather than his usual glossy-coated form 301.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Formation-Breaking Pieces: His own creations, made by tracing beast-blood runes onto low-quality jade; prepared for infiltrating the Profound Origin Sect’s restricted rear mountain 222.
• Nether Baleful Soul Crystal: Retrieved from an Ancient Race expert’s inner armor after killing him in Purple Mountain 246.
• Sonic killing-art jade slip: Claims a rare sonic technique among the belongings of a dead Central Continent sect disciple 246.
• Cracked Void Tortoise Shell: Takes from an abandoned chamber because it might retain part of a Void Escape Technique; its actual contents are not confirmed 249.

Relationships

• Great Emperor Wushi — Former master and the focus of his deepest loyalty. He reveres Wushi’s legacy and reacts furiously when he discovers that the emperor’s palace has been relocated and renamed 258 302.
• Beginningless Bell — Revered as “Master Bell.” The prospect of approaching its presence again visibly moves him 249.
• Li Qingshan — Initially a target for robbery, later a powerful companion who entrusts him with protecting his students. Their relationship mixes insults, bargaining over rewards, and genuine battlefield cooperation 104 135 136 232.
• Ye Fan — Protected student, traveling companion, and frequent partner in dangerous schemes. Constant bickering develops into trust through shared danger and the Black Emperor’s refusal to abandon him 221 222 302.
• Pang Bo — Another student placed under his protection. Their reunion includes Pang Bo rubbing his head while the Black Emperor protests but wags his tail 232 265.
• Duan De — Fellow treasure hunter and grave-robbing accomplice. Their complementary skills make them effective partners, despite frequent insults and blame-shifting 237 246 266.
• Lin Qingyao — A frequent target of his teasing. She recognizes his exceptional physique and eventually becomes accustomed to his unrestrained tongue 108 114.
• Zixia — A companion whom he and Ye Fan’s group helped rescue from Hell assassins. He privately hopes to pair her Innate Dao Embryo with Ye Fan’s Sacred Body to produce another Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo 301.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Escape from Purple Mountain

• Attempts to take Li Qingshan’s divine precious liquid, but is overwhelmed and forced to negotiate 104.
• Escapes Purple Mountain alongside Li Qingshan and Jiang Taixu through the damaged emperor jade’s teleportation passage 104.
• Directs Li Qingshan to an earth-vein-rich cultivation site and provides its concealment formations 105 106.

Northern Region and Jade Pool

• Accompanies Li Qingshan to Pingyan City and later Jade Pool Holy Land, provoking several encounters with visiting young cultivators 108 112 114.
• Prepares an emergency killing formation during the attack over the Qilin Divine Seed, then detects a subsequent four-assassin ambush 132 135.
• Accepts Li Qingshan’s assignment to seek out his students in the Southern Region, especially Ye Fan, with a drop of Divine Phoenix precious liquid entrusted to him 136.

Guardian of Ye Fan

• Meets Ye Fan after his departure from Spirit Ruins Paradise, intervening when thieves attempt to rob him. Their companionship lasts more than a year before their plans in Wei Kingdom 221.
• Engineers Ye Fan’s entry into the Profound Origin Sect so that he can host the Demon Emperor’s Sacred Heart, strengthen his body, and search for Pang Bo 221 222.
• Recognizes a resonance resembling Wushi’s when Li Qingshan returns, excitedly questioning whether he has formed an Innate Sacred Body Dao Embryo 227.
• Receives renewed instructions to protect both Ye Fan and Pang Bo while Li Qingshan prepares for tribulation 232.

Return to Purple Mountain

• Survives the Bronze Immortal Palace expedition with Ye Fan and Pang Bo; the acquisition of Mother Qi of All Things Source subsequently draws pursuers 237.
• Partners with Duan De and guides the group through Purple Mountain’s concealed routes, gathering spoils while stronger factions fight 237 245 246 247.
• Witnesses Li Qingshan receive Wushi’s inheritance and mastery of the Beginningless Bell, then reaffirms his loyalty to the absent emperor 258.

Licheng and the Four Extremes Breakthrough

• Gains the collective nickname “Three Scourges of the Eastern Wasteland” alongside Ye Fan and Duan De as accusations about their plundering circulate publicly 293.
• Identifies Wushi’s palace at Licheng and directs Ye Fan to seize it with his cauldron while he activates their escape formation 302.
• Hides with Ye Fan at Taixuan Sect’s Clumsy Peak under Li Ruoyu’s protection, then appears publicly once Li Qingshan’s presence deters their enemies 304 306 307.
• Prepares hidden formations near the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land while Ye Fan attempts his Four Extremes breakthrough and confronts the Sacred Body’s curse 315.

Notable Quotes

“I am Great Emperor Wushi’s foremost battle general! I’m well versed in array patterns, ancient arts, and treasure hunting!” 105

“Li Qingshan might have ‘dumped’ you two on me, but since I took this job, I’ll see it through to the end.” 222

“Great Emperor, wherever you are, Little Black will wait for you to return!” 258