Xuwang

Xuwang is an ambitious monk of the Emptiness Dao whose bid to seize Mount Bianyan turned a northern campaign into a path to Buddhist advancement. The destruction of the mountain’s defenders made him a Merciful One, and he later sought further merit by expanding Buddhist territory. (Chapters 871–872, 882, 1427)

Biography

A gamble at Mount Bianyan

As a Master Monk in Great Zhao, Xuwang publicly defended the Buddhist land’s treatment of Daoist and demonic cultivators while privately navigating pressure from more powerful factions. He recruited Yu Jiang to break Mount Bianyan’s formation and supplied the Lesser Yang Fire Yu Jiang demanded. Xuwang understood that taking the mountain could bring both merit and a breakthrough, but failure would leave him exposed to rivals. When Yu Jiang revealed his plan to enter in Li Xuanfeng’s likeness, Xuwang recognized how he had been deceived and then joined the assault. He personally killed Chi Zhiyan amid the destruction of the sect; golden radiance and soul-like energy rose from the battlefield into Xuwang, who celebrated the opportunity to attain the Dao. (Chapters 870–872, 881–882)

A rising Merciful One

Xuwang’s victory at Mount Bianyan advanced him on the spot to the rank of Merciful One. By the northern campaign, he stood at the head of a Buddhist formation drawing on the Buddhist land’s radiance and hoped that another victory would bring him closer to becoming a Maha. He admired Kuiqi’s decisiveness but remained alert to the risks of the campaign. After his golden body withdrew from battle, Xuwang used a wooden fish that sent out white waves to extinguish flames on his fellows, then tried to enlist Helian Wumeng as an ally. Helian was stronger and dismissed him, but Xuwang kept command of the remaining monks and urged them to seize an advantage against a retreating Purple Mansion cultivator. (Chapters 1427, 1431)

Appearance and personality

Xuwang is a large, fat monk who wears a kasaya; when he withdraws his golden body, he appears as a monk with large ears. His genial smile and patient manner mask strong ambition. He weighs the political risks of action carefully, yet will move quickly when a campaign offers a chance to gain rank or territory. (Chapters 870–871, 1427, 1431)

Abilities and cultivation

Xuwang remained at the Master Monk rank for more than a century before the fall of Mount Bianyan raised him to Merciful One. He can manifest a golden dharma body, whose scale and defensive strength are apparent in the later northern fighting. A wooden fish in his possession releases waves of white light that helped put out flames on nearby monks; the extent and other limits of the effect are not stated. In the same battle, Helian Wumeng is explicitly described as stronger than Xuwang. (Chapters 871, 1427, 1431)

Relationships

• Yu Jiang: Xuwang hired him to open Mount Bianyan’s formation and fought beside him against its defenders. (Chapters 870–872, 881–882)
• Chi Zhiyan: An opposing Azure Pond cultivator whom Xuwang killed during the fall of Mount Bianyan. (Chapters 881–882)
• Helian Wumeng: A stronger northern ally whom Xuwang tried to recruit during the later campaign. (Chapter 1431)

Items

Xuwang carries a wooden fish that releases waves of white light; he uses it to extinguish flames on nearby monks. (Chapter 1431)