New Emperor

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Accession and Dependence on the Court

Liu Che succeeds Emperor Jing while still approximately sixteen or seventeen. Although he holds the imperial title, veteran ministers invoke his father’s rules and their own seniority to restrain him. His immediate priority is building a leadership team whose loyalty belongs to him rather than to the previous reign 763.

Emperor Jing leaves a secret order requiring the surveillance, recruitment, or execution of people who traveled to Lingnan, including Zhang Xuezhou, Zhang Qian, Dong Zhongshu, Sima Xiangru, and Wei Qing. Liu Che declines to enforce it in full. When Zhang Xuezhou identifies himself as Dongfang Shuo, the emperor accepts the change rather than exposing him to the order’s consequences 763.

The grand empress dowager can replace him and makes cultivation a condition of remaining emperor. She expects him to reach the Divine Ability Realm within ten years; the Sole Self Realm by thirty would satisfy her fully, while True Self by forty would earn congratulations. Liu Che resents this dependence but also recognizes her as the dynasty’s principal deterrent against powerful enemies 1031 1086.

Recruiting Support and Establishing Legitimacy

Liu Che uses appointments to challenge entrenched factions. He invites the Confucian School to supply candidates for high office, signaling that it must displace Chancellor Wei Wan and Imperial Secretary Zhi Buyi to gain those positions. He also promotes Confucian Learning institutions, although later reforms remain subject to negotiation with his mother 841 2545.

Seeking advice without exposing his intentions at court, he repeatedly visits Zhang Xuezhou in disguise. Questions framed around Qin Er Shi’s succession conceal his concern with securing his own throne. Zhang’s suggestion of framing a rival helps him devise a plan to implicate the King of Huainan in the King of Liang’s death 1158 1287.

The Red Empyrean Sword becomes central to his legitimacy. He travels to Fengxi Marsh for a sacrifice at the site associated with Emperor Gaozu’s dragon-slaying, relying on witnesses and the weapon’s reputation to strengthen his position. The sword initially used to establish that reputation is a fake—a secret that leaves his authority vulnerable if exposed 1356 1401 1836 3095.

Government and the Search for Capable Officials

Liu Che’s recruitment difficulties extend beyond loyalty: he needs officials capable of acting independently. Zhang Xuezhou’s candid refusal to promise integrity leaves him uncertain what office to offer, while Han Anguo repeatedly emerges as a candidate for important assignments. The emperor nevertheless worries whether Han’s departure from the King of Liang’s service reflects poorly on his loyalty 1844 2293.

His practical concerns include currency reform, border corruption, and a recommendation system distorted by factional favoritism. He accepts advice to test currency reform in Chang’an before expanding it and considers Han Anguo for an investigation in the Northern Border Military Region 1915 2545.

Breaking with His Elders

The grand empress dowager dies six years into Liu Che’s reign, earlier than the ten years of protection he had expected. The ensuing inheritance struggle pits his mother against Grand Princess Dou, his mother-in-law. Unable to resolve their conflict by choosing a side, he initially seeks ways to remain outside it 2492.

He gradually abandons his ambition to become a second Emperor Jing, recognizing that his circumstances require decisions his father could not have anticipated. His confrontation with the empress dowager eventually becomes physical: he threatens the Jin and Zang families, breaks her restraining sleeve, and reveals his hidden cultivation while attacking with fists and feet rather than drawing his sword 2568 3029.

His subsequent Sole Self breakthrough gives his assertion of authority greater force. Mother and son later reach a common position concerning vengeance for Emperor Jing. As Liu Che gains power, his appointments become less dependent on unquestioning loyalty and more concerned with whether each candidate can perform the work 3036 3040 3174.

War and Confrontations with Great Cultivators

Liu Che participates personally in operations against Xiong State. Traveling incognito with Zhang Xuezhou, he infiltrates its cavalry, overpowers a hundred-man commander, and takes the man’s command. Later, he helps remove dragon bones from the Dragon City Ancestral Land and escapes its separating entrance with Vertical Sword, pulling Zhang to safety behind him 3130 3361.

His battles against Sacred Land cultivators expose the limits of relying on speed and superior swordsmanship. He and Zhang kill several venerables with the assistance of a formation, but their opponents’ unexpectedly durable bodies diminish his confidence. The Dao Lord then strikes him with the Nail-Head Seven Arrows curse, creating a seven-day deadline that drives his attempt to reach True Self 3373 3375 3380.

After advancing, Liu Che takes control of the Huang-Lao Way and redirects its manpower toward producing and improving talismans. With Zhang’s assistance, he also recovers the lost hand-seal legacy for controlling the Demon-Revealing Mirror, though its captive serpent and sudden discharge make the process dangerous 3467 3468.

Diplomacy Beyond Great Han

Liu Che tests his strength against Celestial Venerable Lingbao, combining four magic swords with his own swordsmanship. Lingbao defeats him and severs his sword. Accepting that the Three Pure Ones remain beyond casual confrontation, Liu Che judges an agreement for peace and mutual assistance with the Immortal Court to be Great Han’s best course 3564 3565.

He later travels toward Western Aparagodaniya Continent with Zhang Xuezhou and Divine Lord Zhenyuan, seeking Spirit Jade, an Immortality Elixir, and opportunities involving the Western Sect. The devastation suffered by the major cultivator powers ultimately improves his diplomatic position: Great Han remains intact while the Immortal Court and other factions sustain grievous losses 3697 3794.

Demon Wars and Old Age

Liu Che orders campaigns against states founded on Demon Power, arguing that Great Han cannot limit its concerns to Southern Jambudvipa Continent. Early Karmic Fortune Sacrifices accompany the destruction of successive enemy states, but those successes do not end the demon scourge 3829 3834.

By sixty-nine, he has reigned for fifty-two years and describes the same period as fifty-two years of war. Despite iron equipment, tamed demon horses, and the Legion Technique, his forces suffer one-to-one casualty ratios and occasional complete annihilation—even when he leads personally. No enemy state has fallen in more than a decade, and domestic resentment has mounted 3834.

At Mao Mausoleum, an aged Liu Che considers abdication and speaks with Zhang beside Wei Qing’s grave. Zhang encourages him to pursue longevity through a Yang Corporeal Soul and promises to take him and others along if he reaches Lady Houtu’s domain. Reassured, Liu Che resolves to explore an opportunity connected to Houtu that he had previously hesitated to use 3834.

Appearance

• Early reign: Retains traces of youthful immaturity, but his eyes already convey adult strength and judgment after Emperor Jing’s death 763.
• Disguises: Wears ordinary clothing or palace-eunuch robes when leaving the palace incognito 1089 1156.
• Old age: Appears as an aged man in black robes at Mao Mausoleum; Zhang recognizes him from behind before seeing his face 3834.

Personality

Liu Che is ambitious, suspicious of inherited loyalties, and deeply resistant to being governed “for his own good.” His early maturity is partly forced: while other youths can remain inexperienced, he must navigate ministers, imperial relatives, and the possibility of replacement. His composure is imperfect, and frustration can provoke petty retaliation or open anger 763 1087 1088 3029.

He combines calculation with a willingness to gamble. Unable to match older rivals in cultivation or experience, he uses allies, deception, and the Red Empyrean Sword’s reputation to compensate. Nevertheless, he can retreat when survival requires it and recognizes that even powerful Techniques have weaknesses 1356 1895.

Emperor Jing initially commands his absolute admiration. Over time, that devotion becomes less prescriptive: Liu Che decides he must leave his father’s shadow and accept responsibility for his own reign. His stated principle of rewarding merit and punishing wrongdoing also makes unfulfilled imperial promises a serious concern for him 1156 1986 2568.

Experience tempers his pride without freeing him from responsibility. Encounters with vastly stronger beings keep his achievements in perspective, while government, warfare, and family obligations increasingly make him envy Zhang Xuezhou’s freedom. In old age, his youthful ambition gives way to exhaustion, calculation, and grief for lost companions 3632 3683 3834.

Abilities & Skills

Swordsmanship

Liu Che specializes in the sword, combining top-grade Class A swordsmanship with a Realm Technique 3221.

• Vertical Sword: Carries him across the dangerous gap at the Dragon City Ancestral Land’s exit 3361.
• Rise and Fall Sword Technique: An offensive technique used against the Reincarnation Stone; the stone neutralizes the attack and breaks his sword 3519.
• Defend the Borders: A defensive strike demonstrated after receiving swordsmanship knowledge from the Reincarnation Stone and drawing on the earth’s momentum 3274.
• Suppressive swordplay: Can restrict the movement of the Dao Lord’s Yang Corporeal Soul Body, though it does not prevent the curse that follows 3375.
• Limits: His swordsmanship does not make him invulnerable to bodily attacks, incantations, or stronger swordsmen; Lingbao defeats him in their documented duel 3372 3564.

Close-Quarters Martial Arts

His unarmed combat emphasizes exceptional speed rather than overwhelming striking force 3029.

• Breaks the empress dowager’s hardened sleeve and repeatedly pressures her at close range 3029.
• Can threaten higher-realm Technique cultivators if he closes the distance and avoids their realm intimidation 3029.
• Zhang Xuezhou suspects his practical fighting methods derive from Zhufu Yan’s Eighteen Strikes on Contact with Clothing, learned indirectly through Huo Qubing 3083.

Feather Transformation

An ability associated with the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus Root makes his body light and agile enough for brief airborne movement 3083 3241.

• Allows him to execute sword techniques in the air and defeat a stronger opponent under favorable conditions 3241.
• Contributes to his victory over the Dao Lord’s Yang Corporeal Soul Body 3241.
• Causes persistent Qi-and-Blood depletion, requiring substantial food or pills after sleep; a later pill appears to alter this condition 3241.

Fortune Techniques

His position as emperor gives him unusually favorable conditions for Fortune cultivation 3218.

• Fortune Body: Takes shape shortly after he resumes practicing his Fortune Technique and grows rapidly 3218.
• Karmic Fortune Sacrifice: Used frequently during his earlier campaigns to destroy enemy states 3834.
• Fortune awareness: Recognizes that the King of Huainan’s jade pendant can expose its bearer to the king’s misfortune 3183.
• Limits: His skill initially falls below Liu An’s, and he fears hostile Fortune Artifacts and backlash 3242.

Sword-Formation Aptitude

True Self cultivation grants him an innate affinity for sword formations despite his lack of prior formation expertise 3446.

• Perceives the ability as countless swords ringing in his ears 3387 3446.
• Raises the Law Sword East Qie without touching it; its silver radiance can dazzle opponents 3446 3511.
• Initially sustains control for only seconds before becoming groggy. Later, he maintains it dozens of times longer without impairing his ordinary sword attacks 3446 3511.
• Eventually manifests sword-formation domain power and uses four magic swords together in his duel with Lingbao 3555 3564.
• Requires suitable formation swords, formation knowledge, and sufficient spiritual and soul strength 3446.

Supporting Cultivation Techniques

• Unity of Celestial Person and Heaven: Learned from Dong Zhongshu and used during his True Self breakthrough. Liu Che believes it also contributed to his sword-formation aptitude 3468.
• Prajna Heart Sutra: Recommended to strengthen his spirit and soul for sword control; reaches the sixth level, which is barely adequate for his developing formation power 3446 3555.
• Pill-refining knowledge: Assists Zhang Xuezhou with Fortune Pills, explains the role of Law Power in refining, and helps open successful batches of mid-grade and top-grade pills 2658 3240.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Red Empyrean Sword: Imperial weapon associated with Gaozu’s dragon-slaying and Liu Che’s legitimacy. His original public claim relies on a fake; the genuine sword later changes after receiving Ao Li’s Essence Blood. Its activation remains a recurring difficulty 3095 2652 3517.
• Protective talismans: Carries numerous defensive talismans, ordinarily no fewer than ten. Their depletion during dangerous encounters helps motivate his takeover of the talisman-producing Huang-Lao Way 1897 3375 3461.
• Six Talismans of the Tai Steps: Receives the Fortune Artifact from Zhang Xuezhou; it contributes to his Divine Ability breakthrough 1987 2144.
• East Qie: Law Sword used to test and develop his remote sword control; emits dazzling silver light 3446 3511.
• Four sword-formation diagrams and sword pellet: Extraordinary swordsmanship treasures temporarily lent by Holy Mother Wudang 3387 3446.
• Heaven-Riding Shuttle: Provides long-distance transport when operated with Zhang Xuezhou’s assistance 2642 3381.
• Demon-Revealing Mirror: Recovers its lost control legacy through the imprints of seventy-two sage emperors, but the giant serpent within remains a source of danger and lingering fear 3468 3517.

Relationships

• Emperor Jing — Father, predecessor, and early ideal. Liu Che initially trusts him absolutely, later rejects treating his guidance as inviolable, and struggles to accept the altered Emperor Jing associated with a Flying Jiangshi 1156 2568 3519 3524.
• Grand Empress Dowager — Grandmother, political guardian, and threat to his succession. Her protection sustains the dynasty, but her authority and cultivation demands keep his throne conditional 1031 1086 1158.
• Empress Dowager — Mother and powerful political rival. His distrust culminates in direct combat before they establish a shared course concerning Emperor Jing 2159 3029 3040.
• Jiaojiao / the Empress — Wife in a politically imposed marriage. He acknowledges her devotion but resents a relationship in which private conversation reaches the grand empress dowager 1161 2492.
• Grand Princess Dou — Mother-in-law and rival within the imperial family. Her control of the Huang-Lao Way and Demon-Revealing Mirror conflicts with his need for independent resources 2494 3037 3461.
• Zhang Xuezhou / Dongfang Shuo — Adviser, cultivation benefactor, rescuer, and long-standing companion. Their trust coexists with sovereign–subject tension; Liu Che eventually recognizes that Zhang’s pursuit may carry him beyond the court 2159 3075 3444.
• Wei Qing — Trusted military supporter whose loyalty Liu Che considers especially clear. In old age, the emperor repeatedly returns to his grave 2160 3834.
• Wei Zifu — Provides counsel about seeking help; her music contributes to his Sole Self breakthrough 2160 3037.
• Tian Fen — Maternal uncle and initially his only senior confidant. Later, Tian’s influence becomes part of the court imbalance Liu Che struggles to control 1156 3025.
• Han Yan — Childhood study companion with a talent for scripts; later trusted with investigating sensitive matters involving the emperor’s relatives 1029 2494.
• Dong Zhongshu — Valued prospective ally who teaches him Unity of Celestial Person and Heaven 2545 3468.
• Liu An, King of Huainan — Political and Fortune-Technique rival. Liu Che plans to discredit him and later welcomes the prospect that a fake Red Empyrean Sword will waste years of his study 1287 3183.
• Celestial Venerable Lingbao — Superior swordsman whose victory persuades Liu Che of the value of peace with the Immortal Court 3564 3565.

Notable Quotes

“In any case, I won my gamble!” 2144

“Climbing ever higher in cultivation will give me challenges, and with them the confidence to face every difficulty that comes from outside. But how am I to deal with my maternal relatives interfering in court affairs? That leaves me at a loss!” 3025

“I've been on the throne for fifty-two years, and the war has gone on for fifty-two years too. I'm old now. I can't keep fighting!” 3834