Main Characters (Shen Qiao, Yan Wushi) | Sects of the Jianghu (The Three Demonic Sects, Daoist Sects) | Nations and Kingdoms
The Huanyue, Hehuan and Fajing Sects were once part of the Riyue Sect — the "original" demonic sect — under the leadership of Cui Youwang, who's known as the grandmaster of the demonic path of martial arts. However, the Riyue Sect had since split apart due to dissension with its disciples. Ever since then, the three demonic sects are constantly at odds with each other due to all three leaders sharing the same desire to reunite the sects under their own rule.
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Huanyue Sect | 浣月宗
In General
- A Lighter Shade of Black: While they're honest about their unscrupulous ways and their disdain towards morality, in contrast to the other two demonic sects and even some of the orthodox sects, they wish to maintain the political order of the jianghu, whereas the others are willing to throw the entire country into chaos just for a chance at advancing their personal ambitions.
- Freudian Trio
- Speed, Smarts and Strength:
- Strength: Between the three, Yan Wushi is the most skilled and powerful fighter, natch; and is publicly recognized as the second most powerful martial artist of his generation. And then he defeats the most powerful martial artist in the finale.
- Smarts: What he lacks in martial skill, Bian Yanmei more than makes up for in cleverness and complete competence when it comes to planning, diplomacy, politics, and the like.
- Speed: Yu Shengyuan is the more accomplished of Yan Wushi's two disciples in terms of martial arts, but he still has long ways to go to be at Yan Wushi's level. The novel also described him to be quick in his movements.
- True Companions: While they don't look the part at first, when it comes down to it, both Bian Yanmei and Yu Shengyan have complete loyalty and trust in their shizun. Likewise, while Yan Wushi is stern with them both and often criticizes their progress, he knows and understands what their strengths and shortcomings are, and he's confident that they can handle themselves. Another proof that he also cares for them (in his own way) is when he asks Shen Qiao to look after them in case anything happens to him.
Leadership
Yan Wushi (晏无师)
See more information about Yan Wushi in this page.
Disciples
Bian Yanmei (边沿梅)
Voiced by: Zhang Pengfei note (audio drama)
"Even the Confucian school has a saying like this: 'If evil is repaid with kindness, then what should kindness be repaid with?'"
The eldest disciple of the Huanyue Sect. He serves as the diplomat of his sect and takes care of political matters in his master's stead.
- Adapted Out: He doesn't appear in the donghua, and the scenes where he's supposed to appear instead feature Yu Shengyan acting in his place. The chibi spin-off does acknowledge his existence, even joking that he's not present in the Animated Adaptation because he's working behind the scenes instead.
- Badass Bookworm: Even though he serves mostly as the brains of the sect, Bian Yanmei is still skilled enough in martial arts to go toe-on-toe with Huo Xijing and even manages to defeat Murong Qin in single combat.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Calling Bian Yanmei nice would be a stretch, given that while he's composed and polite, he is also as cunning and unscrupulous as Yan Wushi. But mess with him or one of his own, and in a second, he'll draw his blade on you.
- Brains and Brawn: Where Yu Shengyan is more renowned for his martial skill, Bian Yanmei is more renowned for his smarts and his resourcefulness.
- Deadpan Snarker: A more subtle example than most. Some of his interactions with Yu Shengyan have him make a remark about his shidi's naivete or lack of tact.
- Disguised in Drag: He dresses up as a maid alongside Shen Qiao when they have to infiltrate the imperial palace to rescue Puliuru Jian's children.
- A Father to His Men: When he realizes that Huo Xijing killed his servant, Bian Yanmei is quick to go on the attack, and he shows gratitude to Shen Qiao for killing Huo Xijing.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: He may not be the most accomplished fighter of his sect, but there's still a reason why Yan Wushi entrusts all kinds of tasks to him without hesitation.
- Not So Above It All: Between his shizun and his shidi, Bian Yanmei is the most level-headed and mature of the three, but even he's shown to have a silly side.
- Bian Yanmei has a hard time restraining his laughter when Yan Wushi "greets" Yuan Xiuxiu by insulting her appearance.
- While dressing as a palace maid, he teasingly asks Shen Qiao in a coquettish tone if he looks pretty.
- Just like his shizun, Bian Yanmei calls Xueting by the same insulting nickname of "old bald donkey".
- An extra has Bian Yanmei chide Yu Shengyan for picking on Shen Qiao's shidi for fun, but another extra shows that he also played tricks on Yu Shengyan when they were younger.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Yan Wushi reveals to Shen Qiao that Bian Yanmei is part of the reason why Shen Qiao and Yuwen Song were able to escape from Chang'an without much difficulty.
- Only Sane Man: While he's one of the many who initially suspects that Shen Qiao has become Yan Wushi's boy-toy (thanks in no small part to Yan Wushi's deliberately ambiguous wording), Bian Yanmei is one of the very few who's smart enough to realize that the claim was only but a rumor after both sending some men to look into the matter and talking to Shen Qiao in person.
- Shipper on Deck: Zigzagged. When Bian Yanmei first met Shen Qiao, he initially viewed the other man with disdain when he mistakenly assumed that Shen Qiao is Yan Wushi's male pet, but a conversation with him immediately had him look at the man in a more favorable light. Later on, when he realizes that Yan Wushi has genuinely fallen in love with Shen Qiao, Bian Yanmei is surprised that his shizun is actually serious about pursuing someone; but otherwise, he doesn't oppose their relationship and even understands why Yan Wushi is infatuated with Shen Qiao.
- Undying Loyalty: Just like Yu Shengyan, Bian Yanmei's loyalty to Yan Wushi knows no bounds and he never doubts his master.
- Virtue Is Weakness: One of the novel's extras describes Bian Yanmei as contemptuous towards virtue and righteousness; he's still a member of a demonic sect, after all. However, he does respect Shen Qiao for his genuinely noble spirit.
Yu Shengyan (玉生烟)
Voiced by: Ke Muqing (animation, audio drama)
"It's true that our Huanyue Sect is a demonic sect in the eyes of the public, but we are honest villains. If we want to kill, then we kill and will make no qualms about telling it, unlike some of the orthodox sects whose deeds could not be more different to their claims."
One of Yan Wushi's two disciples, who follows his master's orders the best he can.
- Adaptation Distillation: Zigzagged. Majority of his role in the introductory arc is given to Yan Wushi instead in the donghua. On the other hand, he still has more screentime overall in the donghua.
- At Least I Admit It: He tells Shen Qiao that even if the Huanyue Sect is a demonic sect that's reviled and feared by many, they are at the very least honest about their immorality unlike the other sects, who hide their misdeeds and ill intentions under a false guise of righteousness.
- Brains and Brawn: Between the two, Yu Shengyan's skill lies more in martial arts while Bian Yanmei's cultivation is somewhat above average at best, which he makes up for with his expertise in negotiation and diplomacy.
- The Bully: The lighthearted version; Yu Shengyan has taken the habit of picking on Yuan Ying and messing with him, especially due to the latter's meek and timid personality.
- The Bus Came Back: He appears in the very first arc, but afterwards he's not seen again and is only mentioned a few times up until his next appearance, which is during the Sword Trial Conference. Said event takes place almost a hundred chapters later.
- Butt-Monkey: In the donghua, there's not a scene that goes by between Yu Shengyan and Yan Wushi where his master isn't critiquing him for his technique in some way.
- Composite Character: He takes over Bian Yanmei's role in the donghua due to the latter being Adapted Out in the animation.
- Hidden Depths: Although he doesn't possess Bian Yanmei's level of smarts, he is still notably savvy and knows a lot about politics and history. He is also hinted to have an affinity for the arts due to his numerous travels around the jianghu.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: Despite being the Butt-Monkey to his shizun, the fact he's one of his only two disciples speaks to how powerful he really is. Yan Wushi also tells Shen Qiao that Yu Shengyan possess exceptional martial skill and is only lacking in experience.
- Locked Out of the Loop: By the time Yu Shengyan shows up again during the Sword Trial Conference in Chapter 102, he has absolutely no idea what had happened between Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi since they last parted ways in Chapter 5.
- Not So Above It All:
- While he was already helping his master lie to Shen Qiao by telling him he was a disciple of the Huanyue Sect, Yu Shengyan couldn't help but also tell Shen Qiao he was his shixiong, despite being younger than the other man. Shen Qiao goes along with it and continues to refer to him as such.
- In an extra, Bian Yanmei mentions that Yu Shengyan tends to pick on Shen Qiao's younger disciples, particularly Yuan Ying.
- Oh, Crap!: When Yu Shengyan witnesses Shen Qiao showing his true power in his fight against Yuan Xiuxiu, Yu Shengyan realizes how lucky he is that Shen Qiao is as nice as he is. Otherwise, he'd already have been dead for referring to Shen Qiao (who's one martial generation higher than him) as shidi and insisting that the latter call him his shixiong — since anyone else would have been extremely offended at the trickery.
- Skilled, but Naive: Yan Wushi describes Yu Shengyan as such, stating that while he has extraordinary talent, he's still young and as such is lacking in experience.
- Undying Loyalty: He'll follow his master's orders, even to the point of killing a family to send a message.
- Would Hurt a Child: He was willing to go through Yan Wushi's order to kill a man along with his family to set an example, but Shen Qiao interferes beforehand and warns the family to flee.
Servants
Ruru (茹茹)
Voiced by: Wan Suwan note (audio drama)
Wu Mi (吴弥)
Voiced by: Liu Yuxuan note (audio drama)
A-Qing (阿轻)
Voiced by: Du Guangyi (audio drama)
- Butt-Monkey: The poor young boy is unlucky enough to get picked on by Yan Wushi because of the latter's jealousy towards him... for the kind treatment he's been receiving from Shen Qiao.
Hehuan Sect | 合歡宗
In General
- Adapted Out: The donghua barely, if at all, mentions that Sang Jingxing and Yuan Xiuxiu are secretly plotting to overthrow the other. The only closest the adaptation ever comes to showing that they're not on the same boat is Sang Jingxing secretly making a deal with Yan Wushi to help with the latter's qi deviation, which Yuan Xiuxiu helped exacerbate.
- Power Perversion Potential: The Hehuan Sect cultivate mainly through caibu (dual cultivation) or simply put, cultivating through sex.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Regardless of whether they're loyal to either Yuan Xiuxiu or Sang Jingxing, none of the disciples really get along and are quick to ditch the others to save their own skin. If they ever show any anger whenever a disciple gets killed, it's only because they know that said death would greatly disadvantage the sect.
- Token Evil Teammate: While none of the three demonic sects are benevolent in any way, it's the Hehuan Sect that starts the most trouble in the plot, and are also the most unscrupulous of the lot as they are not afraid of leaving corpses in their wake.
Leadership
Yuan Xiuxiu (元秀秀)
Voiced by: Feng Junhua (animation, audio drama)
"Yan-lang, you've really got a heart of steel. I wonder what kind of woman it takes to attract you. Back then, I tried every possible way to entice you, but you still didn't agree to spend a night with me. I almost thought I was unattractive to men!"
The leader of the Hehuan Sect and the imperial adviser to the emperor of Qi.
- Adaptational Villainy: The donghua features her as one of the many involved in the assassination plot against Yan Wushi. By contrast, she actually had nothing to do with the conspiracy in the novel.
- Berserk Button:
- Although she's able to quickly conceal her rage, she nevertheless gets angered when Yan Wushi insults her appearance.
- In another instance, while she still manages to keep her composure, the novel points out she was filled with killing intent when she's reminded, in public no less, that she's unable to rein in Sang Jingxing and keep him from rebelling against her.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Yan Wushi describes her with the phrase "kou mi fu jian" (口蜜腹劍), which translates to "honey in mouth, dagger in heart" — which refers to either a hypocrite or someone who hides malicious intentions with sweet words.
- Black Swords Are Better: Her twin swords hidden in her sleeves are described as two black rays when she uses them.
- Dark Action Girl: Considering that she's the leader of the Hehuan Sect, this is a given, especially that among the three demonic sects, it's the Hehuan Sect that's caused the most trouble around the Central Plains.
- Dual Wielding: The novel describes her weapon of choice being a pair of swords. What's notable is that her fighitng style is taken from a sword-wielding art that's originally meant to be wielded by two people (a man and a woman, to be precise), but she reforged the technique and turned it into her own.
- Hidden Depths: She deliberately lets others underestimate her to make it easier for her to take her enemies by surprise. However, Chapter 103 hints that she is still bothered to a degree about how she is not taken seriously enough not just because she practices dual cultivation, but also because she is a woman.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: In the Animated Adaptation, she injures Yan Wushi with a poisoned needle to damage his demonic core. When she tries to attack Shen Qiao later, she gets injured with the same needle. Yan Wushi even mocks her by lampshading the trope, telling her that it would be rude of him to not return her "gift" in kind.
- Killed Offscreen: Sang Jingxing kills her some time after the Sword Trial Conference.
- Light Is Not Good: She's clad in white robes in the donghua, but she's not as saintly as she looks.
- Older Than She Looks: While her age is never specified, it's mentioned that her beauty makes her appear as if she's only in her twenties when she's actually far past that age.
- Power Perversion Potential: She's an active practitioner of dual cultivation, and she uses her beauty to her complete advantage.
- Stronger Than They Look: One of the reasons that she's of the lower-ranked of the top ten martial artists is because she doesn't display her power too often, and lets others believe that she's weak and fragile. But it's because of this that many forget that she's not a leader of one of the three feared demonic sects for nothing.
- We Can Rule Together: Proposes this to Shen Qiao during the Sword Conference, promising to help him get revenge on those that offended him in the past and offering to dual cultivate with him, to which Shen Qiao refuses. Partially subverted since she's doing this mostly to distract Shen Qiao from the real fight.
Disciples
Bai Rong (白茸)
Voiced by: Du Qingqing note (animation, audio drama)
"The Hehuan Sect is where I grew up. Where else can I go if not there? The Huanyue Sect? Or the Fajing Sect? Do you consider homicide better than dual cultivation? The others refer to the Hehuan Sect as a "demonic sect", but is the Huanyue Sect not a demonic sect too? I hope you don't forget that Yan-zongzhu has more blood on his hands than me."
A disciple of the Hehuan Sect who is tasked with trying to get information on the Zhuyang Ce, and often runs into Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi.
- Adaptation Deviation: Zigzagged. While Bai Rong is never once mentioned to be favored by Sang Jingxing the way he did Huo Xijing, and the most the reader gets is the implication that he's the one who took her virginity, which he commonly does to all his disciples. But it's never revealed or hinted at if he ever abused her or not. The donghua, however, shows him beating her and strangling her for letting Shen Qiao escape one time too many.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Every time she and Shen Qiao cross paths, she starts to become attracted to more than just his face. However, he doesn't feel the same way, something that he gently lets her know. While it annoys her, it doesn't make her less eager to tease him whenever she can.
- Armor-Piercing Response: When Shen Qiao asks Bai Rong if she's comfortable in the Hehuan Sect and if she ever considered leaving, Bai Rong tells him in detail why that isn't as simple as it sounds.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: While she already was attracted to Shen Qiao from the start because of his fair looks, what causes her to genuinely fall for him is that no matter the situation, he would always treat her with respect.
- Dark Action Girl: She's one of the few female cultivators introduced in the novel, and she often clashes with the protagonists.
- Depending on the Artist: The novel describes her wearing her hair in twin buns, but the donghua features her with a long ponytail instead.
- The Dog Bites Back: It's strongly implied that she's the one who lands the killing blow on Sang Jingxing, and it's strongly hinted that he wasn't the kindest master to her.
- Femme Fatalons: She has long sharp red nails in the donghua, and she certainly isn't up to any good.
- Fragile Speedster: While she's a capable fighter, she focuses more on stealth and speed, meaning she's quick to get knocked down by attacks powered by strength and force.
- Heel–Face Turn
- Hidden Depths: Aside from her ambition to become the next leader of the Hehuan Sect, she ponders to Shen Qiao if she would ever become strong enough to stand on equal ground with the likes of Yan Wushi and Ruyan Kehui; even remarking that she cannot practice their path of cultivation whilst her own path is looked down upon.
- Internal Reformist: After she succeeds as sect leader, she starts working towards abolishing the sect's ways of cultivating through sexual means.
- Lady in Red: Her most defining feature is her red outfit. In the donghua, her spiritual energy also glows a either a bright red or pink.
- The Leader: In the finale, she becomes the new leader of the Hehuan Sect.
- Master of Disguise: She can change her appearance however she pleases, and she often does this to sneak around.
- No Sense of Personal Space: She gets close to Shen Qiao multiple times than necessary which the other responds to by moving away and keeping his distance. This is played up more in the donghua, where she touches him every chance she gets when she sees him.
- Not Good with Rejection: Downplayed. Bai Rong is used to being able to successfully charm anyone she has her eyes on, whether they're her target or just because, hence Shen Qiao's indifference to her advances leaves her stumped. When he makes it clear at one point that he doesn't appreciate her getting too close to his personal space, she tries to insist but he blocks her path to let her know that he means what he said, which miffs her.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Shen Qiao surmises that Bai Rong finished off Sang Jingxing after he gravely wounded the latter in a fight.
- Power Perversion Potential: She practices dual cultivation, and Yan Wushi theorizes that her master was the one who took her virginity.
- Pragmatic Villainy: At first, Bai Rong was ruthless enough to kill anyone who crossed her path on a mission, even killing innocent bystanders just because she can. Some time after her encounters with Shen Qiao, she settles on killing only the person she's assigned to assassinate, otherwise she'll only knock out anyone else who gets in her way. Yan Wushi surmises that this is her attempt to leave a good impression on Shen Qiao, who disapproves of senseless slaughter.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Her master and fellow disciples are all twisted people with rather sick interests, but Bai Rong doesn't share their depravities even as she follows her master's orders without hesitation. Even Shen Qiao notices that she's not truly a bad person and encourages her to not end up like her master. Xia Lei (Shen Qiao's voice actor) also goes to state that while Bai Rong is not a good person, she's not necessarily evil either.
- Romantic Runner-Up: While she falls for Shen Qiao later on, Shen Qiao doesn't reciprocate her feelings and ends up in a relationship with Yan Wushi instead.
- The Tease: Bai Rong likes teasing Shen Qiao every chance she gets, and only beats it when she notices Yan Wushi is nearby.
- Terms of Endangerment: She's on the receiving end of the trope: more than one character has referred to her as a yao nu, which can translate to "demoness", "witch", "wicked woman", and anything in between. Even she's aware that she's often called such terms.
- Took a Level in Badass: When she's first introduced, her martial arts are only competent enough for her to handle herself but not noteworthy enough for her to stand out as an expert. But as time passes, her skills become stronger and stronger. While it's a given for every martial artist to improve their abilities any chance they get, it's hinted that one reason Bai Rong improved her skills is so that once she becomes the sect leader, no one would doubt her ability and attempt to oppose her succession by then.
Huo Xijing (霍西京)
Voiced by: Zhao Yang (animation, audio drama)
"Don't get me wrong. I didn't know he was your man when I took a fancy to his face that day. He only told me about it after I was halfway done. You see, even if I stopped then, he wouldn't have been able to save his face or his life anyway."
A powerful cultivator who is infamous for skinning the faces of beautiful people, and is Sang Jingxing's favorite disciple.
- Chekhov's Skill: His ability to graft the other's faces on his own, which Yan Wushi uses to sneak into the imperial palace alongside Shen Qiao and Bian Yanmei.
- The Dreaded: He's infamous for his reputation of flaying the faces of the people he finds attractive enough to his liking.
- Face Stealer: He is able to steal other people's faces and is even able to mimic the original owner's personalities well.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: He dies when Shen Qiao stabs him in the chest with nothing more but a bamboo pole.
- Imposter Forgot One Detail: When he was pretending to be Bian Yanmei's servant, he didn't know that Ji Ying was deathly afraid of Yan Wushi that he would never accompany Bian Yanmei to meet him. This is how Bian Yanmei is able to see through his disguise.
- In the Hood: The donghua depiction of him shows him wearing a hood to cover his face.
- Master of Disguise: He can take the faces of other people and impersonate them well, making him a deadly killer.
- Malevolent Masked Man: When the hood goes off, he's revealed to wear a mask that hides the upper half of his face.
- Vocal Dissonance: While Huo Xijing is already somewhat old, his gravelly voice contrasts with the youthful faces that he stole and would wear over his own face.
- Younger Than They Look: He's hinted to be already quite old, but since he steals the faces of others and grafts them onto his own, he looks younger than his actual age.
Xiao Se (萧瑟)
Voiced by: Feng Xiu (animation), Luo Piliang note (audio drama)
"Shen-zhangjiao, as a grandmaster of the Daoist sects, don't you feel ashamed to be ordered around by someone like Yan Wushi?"
- Combat Hand Fan: His weapon of a choice is a fan that's constructed entirely of sharp blades, and he's very deadly with it.
- Deceptive Disciple: Although Xiao Se is technically Yuan Xiuxiu's disciple, he's seen acting on Sang Jingxing's orders and following him around more often. Keep in mind that the two elder members are at odds with the other.Yan Wushi: (mockingly) My sympathies to Yuan Xiuxiu for taking in an ingrate of a disciple who spends his days fooling about with Sang Jingxing.
- Depraved Bisexual: Hinted at in Chapter 38 when it's mentioned that Xiao Se normally wouldn't let any beautiful person slip past him without "playing with them for a while" or "getting a taste of them first". And in this scenario, said "beautiful person" is Shen Qiao.
- Hot-Blooded: In spite of himself, it's rather easy to agitate him by pressing the right buttons.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Although he's not fond of Bai Rong, Bing Xian mentioned that Xiao Se chose to stand down and accept that Bai Rong is the new leader of the Hehuan Sect without making any attempts to fight for the position.
- Would Hurt a Child
Bing Xian (冰弦)
Voiced by: Wan Suwan note (audio drama)
Elders
Sang Jingxing (桑景行)
Voiced by: Xie Tiantian (animation, audio drama)
One of the elders of the Hehuan Sect. To the public, he's known as Yuan Xiuxiu's paramour, but in reality, he's secretly plotting to overthrow her position as the leader of the Hehuan Sect. He is also infamous for being a depraved rapist who goes after both men and women in equal measure.
- Beauty Is Bad: The novel describes Sang Jingxing to look extremely fair and beautiful, which contrasts with how utterly sickening his character is.
- Depraved Bisexual: Bai Rong tells Shen Qiao how her master likes both men and woman, and how he loves cultivating through sex. However, he tortures whoever he takes to bed until they're almost dead.
- Ephebophile: Sang Jingxing is mentioned to have a preference for teenage boys and girls.
- Evil Laugh: He chuckles often as he threatens Shen Qiao with all the things he plans to do to him.
- Power Perversion Potential: He's a pretty powerful cultivator and dual cultivation is his favorite method, amongst others, of strengthening his cultivation.
- Sadist: He enjoys torturing people, especially in bed. He even fantasizes over moments where he'd make women shave their heads to play as priests while he acts out a scene of him raping them. Once he gets bored of his victims, he immediately tosses them aside or gives them to his disciples for them to have their way with.
- To the Pain: He takes delight in telling Shen Qiao what he plans to do to him in explicit detail when the latter is left at his mercy.
- White Hair, Black Heart: He's depicted with white hair in the donghua, and he's one of the most depraved characters of the entire cast.
- You're Insane!: Sang Jingxing exclaims this word-for-word after Shen Qiao destroys his foundations in an attempt to kill them both together.
Yan Shou (阎狩)
Voiced by: Ke Muqing (audio drama)
One of the elders of the Hehuan Sect loyal to Sang Jingxing. He's known as the "Bloodstained Monk" due to his monk-like appearance, which belies his cruel nature and how he has taken countless lives with his bare hands.
- Adaptational Ugliness: The novel described him as having the "dignified appearance of Buddha". In the donghua, he's extremely large and has a rather grotesque appearance.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: He earned his moniker for a reason, and anyone who's unfortunate to be struck on the head by his own hands are quick to lose their lives.
- Karmic Death: Shen Qiao soon sees to it that Yan Shou will pay, and pay painfully, for the lives he took at Bailong Temple. In their second encounter, Shen Qiao costs Yan Shou one arm. Then when they meet for the third time in Chang'an, Shen Qiao pierces his sword right through Yan Shou's heart, killing him for good.
- Red Baron: He's also known as the "Bloodstained Monk", or more accurately, "The Monk with Blood on his Hands".
- Would Hurt a Child: As well as the elderly. Yan Shou is the one who kills both Chuyi and Zhu Lengquan.
Baoyun (宝云)
Voiced by: Xiu Yuan (audio drama)
"Shen-daozhang, just as there is no long-lasting friendship in this world, there are no long-lasting enemies, either."
One of the elders of the Hehuan Sect. He's infamous for posing as a Buddhist monk to seduce female worshippers.
- Flat Character: He doesn't get much characterization compared to the other members of the Hehuan Sect, and gets offed a few chapters after he's introduced.
Fajing Sect | 法境宗
The last of the three demonic sects to be introduced, the Fajing Sect resides in Tuyuhun instead of the Central Plains due to its forces being severely weakened beforehand by both the Huanyue and the Hehuan Sects, which forced the sect to relocate to a farther region.
Leadership
Guang Lingsan (广陵散)
Voiced by: Shen Dawei (animation), Sun Ye (audio drama)
"Shen-zhangjiao, have you ever heard the saying, 'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it'?"
The leader of the Fajing Sect. He is also the shixiong of Feng Xiao, who would soon succeed him as the sect leader by the events of Wushuang.
- Achilles' Heel: He serves as one to Yan Wushi, since as someone of the demonic sects, Guang Lingsan knows how to exploit the Fatal Flaws in Yan Wushi's demonic core. It's all but outright stated that he's the only reason why the other masters had a shot in injuring Yan Wushi.
- Affably Evil: He always speaks eloquently regardless of who he is talking to.
- Combat Pragmatist: In the donghua, as the others are fighting Yan Wushi head-on, Guang Lingsan makes sure to stand at a distance while channeling attacks that weaken Yan Wushi's defensive qi and damage his demonic core.
- Did I Mention I Am Heterosexual Today: When Shen Qiao gets in his way of making sure that Yan Wushi is Deader than Dead, before engaging in a fight with the former, Guang Lingsan takes the time to tell Shen Qiao that he's not interested in men in spite of Shen Qiao's undeniable beauty, which is why he won't hold back against him.
- Hat of Authority: Guang Lingsan is the leader of the Fajing Sect, and in the donghua, he's featured him with a hat (a rather tall one, at that).
- Historical Domain Character: Played with; he is not named after a real-life person, but a musical piece instead. Guangling San
is one of the most famous pieces played on the qin and has existed since sometime between the Qin and the Han dynasties. - Know When to Fold 'Em: When he and Shen Qiao clash over custody of Yan Wushi's corpse, Shen Qiao already has recovered enough of his original power to fight both Guang Lingsan and Dou Yanshan to a standstill. Once Guang Lingsan realizes that he'll eventually get overpowered, he decides against fighting Shen Qiao any further and leaves.
- Magic Music: His main weapon is his zither, which he uses to dish out all kinds of attacks.
- Nothing Personal: While Guang Lingsan helped in the ambush because he wants to unite the three demonic sects under his authority and was attempting to eliminate competition, he doesn't have any personal grudges against Yan Wushi himself and is even willing to lend his help provided that he gets something out of it in return. One of the extras also shows them playing Weiqi and discussing the state of the imperial court, showing that they are capable of being civil with the other at times.
- Properly Paranoid: After Yan Wushi is soundly defeated, Guang Lingsan says that the only way to make sure he's truly dead is to cut off his head, since the demonic sects know of a technique where a person can hide a strand of inner qi that would keep them from completely succumbing to death after withstanding attacks that would kill any normal human. Shen Qiao doesn't allow them the chance to behead Yan Wushi, however, and in time, Yan Wushi is able to recover both his health and his power.
- Sickly Green Glow: In the donghua, the color of his qi is a bright green, and the attacks that he'd create with his qin glow green as well.
- Stronger Than They Look: While he may not look like the physically powerful type, anyone familiar with Chinese instruments know that the qin and any of its variants are no lightweight instruments. In terms of martial skill, he's far from lacking either; in the Sword Trial Conference, he's ranked seventh — two ranks higher than Yuan Xiuxiu. Even years later, Chapter 129 of Wushuang confirms that he is still ranked among the top ten.
- Troll: When he realizes at the birthday party at the Huang Manor that Yan Wushi is pretending not to know Shen Qiao, Guang Lingsan doubles down on the prank and calls Yan Wushi by his first name, implying the two have gotten very close, which severely disturbs Shen Qiao
- What Happened to the Mouse?: While his name is mentioned a few times in Wushuang, it's not confirmed where he is, what he has been doing, or why Feng Xiao replaced him as the Fajing Sect's leader.
