Que Liyu

Que Liyu is a Maha of the Great Desire Dao whose southward campaign answers a massacre while also positioning him in the rise of True Essence. His effort to turn his Peacock lineage’s burden into an exalted destiny draws Li Zhouwei into the conflict before the Banished Essence Dao suppresses the karmic root he sent into the field.

Biography

A northern campaign with several aims

Que Liyu arrives after a million people of the Great Desire Dao have been killed in Jiangbei. He tells Fachang that the scale of the deaths makes his intervention inevitable, while rejecting Fachang’s appeal to protect innocents as selective concern. Their exchange frames the campaign as both retaliation and a dispute over who bears responsibility for mass suffering. (Chapter 1618)

Que’s choices soon reveal a wider political aim. He sends Daisi and Nuzi to keep Zhouwei, the White Qilin, from entering the conflict; when they fail, he criticizes Daisi but still assigns him to guard the north. He also draws Heavenly Crow Merging Fire from Daisi’s body through a beak-like manifestation, leaving much of the flame removed. (Chapters 1622 and 1631)

At the same time, Que secures a high-merit direct descendant of Yanyang Temple for the Great Desire Dao, treating the recruit’s lineage and merit as valuable to his plans. When Que departs south, other Buddhist leaders worry that his absence leaves their side less able to answer Zhouwei. His mission thus combines the Great Desire Dao’s response to its losses with a contest over the emerging True Essence order. (Chapters 1632 and 1657)

The karmic root and the True Essence gamble

Que explains that the Peacock line inherited the Bin Crow’s karmic root: even after returning to the Buddhist path, the Great Supreme Chan could not advance while the root kept him shackled to Merging Fire. Que believes that removing the same root is necessary for his own progress. He therefore intends to let Tianwu’s Metallic Essence eradicate it, while the act of opposing True Essence grants him an exceptional inherent rank and destiny and demonstrates the purity of his true self. (Chapter 1633)

His plan separates the true body from the risk-bearing part. The true body remains seated on the Great Benevolent Golden Lotus at Quanwu, while the Little Peacock Karma and karmic root descend to take the Guest Position as the demon destined to be subdued by Tianwu True Essence. The lotus may gather his true spirit, but escape is not assured: Que faces the Banished Essence Dao’s power, risks losing a century of dharma-body cultivation, and could be called back into the conflict to complete another’s Dao. Even Liangli is wary of him. (Chapter 1633)

When the root separates, Que’s physical shell is left as a skeleton and the Karmic Fire takes the shape of a monk. The Great Benevolent Golden Lotus remains his safeguard, but the Guzhou Cauldron, a Banished Essence treasure, pins the fire; it roars and presses against the vessel without moving it. Si Yuanli fears that no one below can return north. The root is last shown suppressed; attainment of the intended Guest Position and higher rank remains unconfirmed, while Que’s true body was last described seated on the Lotus. (Chapters 1633 and 1635)

Appearance and personality

Que is a handsome monk with a pale complexion, sharp chin, and faintly red eyes threaded with gray. He appears composed and confident even as he undertakes a plan that could cost a century of cultivation or his life. His choices combine grievance, strategic patience, and ambition: he answers the Great Desire Dao’s losses while trying to exploit the moment when True Essence enters the world. (Chapters 1618 and 1633)

Abilities and cultivation

Great Desire Dao and Maha cultivation

Que is a Maha of the Great Desire Dao, with six reincarnations cited as the source of his standing among Buddhist cultivators. Daisi is nominally equal in rank but lacks Que’s six-life history and institutional support. Nuzi warns that Que’s southern plan risks a century of cultivation invested in his dharma body, while the Banished Essence Dao could kill the descending root. (Chapters 1622–1635)

Karmic root and Great Benevolent Golden Lotus

Que’s plan separates his true body on the Great Benevolent Golden Lotus from the Little Peacock Karma and karmic root that enter the southern contest. He intends for the root to occupy the Guest Position as the demon opposing Tianwu True Essence; if Tianwu’s Metallic Essence eradicates it, Que expects to gain inherent rank and destiny while proving the purity of his true self. The lotus can gather his true spirit, but cannot guarantee his safety from Banished Essence or a later demand that he return to the struggle. (Chapter 1633)

Karmic Fire and absorbed flame

Que’s karmic root takes Karmic Fire form, appearing as a monk amid the burnt landscape. Earlier, a beak-like transformation draws the Heavenly Crow Merging Fire out of Daisi, visibly reducing the flames on his body. These uses show his ability to separate and wield flame, but do not define its full range or cost. His descended root is last shown pinned beneath the Guzhou Cauldron. (Chapters 1622 and 1635)

Power progression

Relationships

• Li Zhouwei: Que anticipates the White Qilin’s intervention and sends subordinates to keep him away; Zhouwei’s role in the northern conflict remains a concern for Que’s camp. (Chapters 1622, 1631 and 1657)
• Nuzi: A Maha subordinate who warns Que about the cost and danger of his southern plan. (Chapters 1632–1633)
• Daisi: A Maha whom Que assigns to guard the north after drawing much of the Heavenly Crow Merging Fire from his body. (Chapter 1622)
• Fachang: A moral and political opponent with whom Que argues over the Great Desire Dao’s victims and the meaning of protecting innocents. (Chapter 1618)

Items

Que’s strategy depends on the Great Benevolent Golden Lotus at Quanwu, which supports the separation of his true body and karmic root. The Guzhou Cauldron is the Banished Essence treasure that suppresses the descended root. (Chapters 1633–1635)