Entity directory · Phantom Blade Zero

Using Medicine has a 8% chance not to consume a use.

〔Heavy Attack〕Increases the Sha-Chi depletion of Sha-Chi Combos by 8%.

Reduces recovery time from Guard-Broken by 15%.

Increases damage dealt based on the distance traveled during the attack, up to 40%.

Landing more than 2 consecutive hits within 1 second increases damage dealt to enemies by 15% for 2 seconds. 5-second cooldown.

Increases damage dealt to enemies by 5%.

Restores 10% HP when Guard-Broken.

Reduces ranged damage and Sha-Chi depletion taken by 20%.

Increases healing from Medicine by 20%.

Holding〔Block〕to block attacks reduces Sha-Chi consumption by 20%.

Increases summon duration by 25%.

The higher your HP, the greater the damage reduction, up to 20% at full HP.

Reduces fire damage by 50% and Burn buildup rate by 50%.

Increases the timing windows for Parry and Perfect Dodge by 15%.

Increases damage dealt to mounted enemies by 25%.

Bleed and Lifesteal are 50% effective against Puppets, Phantoms, and Golden Bodies.

Reduces Lightning damage taken by 50% and Paralysis buildup rate by 50%.

After using Medicine, randomly gain one of the following effects: 1. Inflicts Burning on yourself and nearby enemies. 2. Inflicts Poison on yourself and nearby enemies. 3. Conjures a Chaos fireball that automatically attacks nearby enemies. 4. Immediately restores all HP and 50% Sha-Chi.

Reduces Sha-Chi drain rate by 30% while holding 〔Block〕 to maintain Guard Stance.

Reduces Soul's chance of Bleeding and Bleed Gauge buildup rate by 50%.

Increases HP by 15%.

Increases damage dealt and Sha-Chi depletion against attacking enemies by 7%

Using medicine lets you recover from Guard Break and prevents Sha-Chi consumption for 3 seconds.

Any 〔Heavy Attack〕 attack that hits an enemy builds temporary Remnant Spark. Ranged-type Phantom Edges consume temporary Remnant Spark first.

Increases the damage and Sha-Chi depletion caused by summon objects by 50%.

Triggering a Phantom Edge follow-up attack has a 33% chance to restore 1 Remnant Spark.

Increases damage dealt to Guard-Broken enemies by 7%.

〔Heavy Attack〕Reduces Sha-Chi consumption from Sha-Chi Combos by 15%.

Increases Sha-Chi by 15%.

Increases damage dealt to Shield Durability by 50% and reduces damage taken from Spiked Shields by 30%.

Reduces poison damage taken by 50%.

Reduces noise from footsteps and Assassinations by 50%.

Increases damage dealt with Two-Handed Weapons by 10%.

Increases One-Handed weapon damage by 10%.

Increases Dual-Wielded weapon damage by 10%.

Fire repeatedly at range. Deal more damage to enemies at full health. Owning the gun lets you shoot down certain hanging objects without equipping it.

Press〔Phantom Edges〕repeatedly to unleash up to 3 ranged volleys of throwing knives. A full combo consumes 1 Remnant Spark

Hold〔Phantom Edges〕to unleash a stream of flame, dealing damage and igniting enemies. Continuously consumes Remnant Spark

Press〔Phantom Edges〕repeatedly to perform up to 3 fist attacks. A full combo consumes 1 Remnant Spark

Press〔Phantom Edges〕repeatedly to perform up to 3 mid-to-long-range swinging attacks. Phosphor Flames ignite enemies. A full combo consumes 1 Remnant Spark .

Hold〔Phantom Edges〕 to spray a high-pressure water jet. Continuously consumes Remnant Spark

Hold 〔Phantom Edges〕 to swing Wolfjaw at enemies, draining life to restore HP. Has no effect on Puppets, Golden Bodies, or Phantom Bodies. Consumes 1 Remnant Spark

Hold 〔Phantom Edges〕to charge the attack, up to 2 stages. Release 〔Phantom Edges〕to unleash a crushing cleave. Higher charge stages deal more damage. Consumes 1 Remnant Spark

Hold 〔Phantom Edges〕to charge the shot. Release 〔Phantom Edges〕to shoot an arrow. Consumes 1 Remnant Spark . Deals increased damage to enemies at full HP

Hold 〔Phantom Edges〕to raise Bastion and block all enemy attacks. While it is raised, press 〔Block〕to shove away enemies in front. Keeping Bastion raised continuously consumes Sha-Chi, and blocking attacks consumes additional Sha-Chi. When Sha-Chi is depleted, the shield shatters. Consumes 1 Remnant Spark

Press〔Phantom Edges〕 repeatedly to perform up to 3 strikes of [Thunderclap Spear Art]. A full combo consumes 1 Remnant Spark . Attacks inflict Paralysis and unleash lightning.

Press〔Phantom Edges〕repeatedly to unleash 2 Blue Sonic Blades and 1 Red Sonic Blades. A full combo consumes 1 Remnant Spark

In areas dense with Sha-Chi (when the icon emits a special glow), press 〔Phantom Edges〕to summon 1 Sword-and-Shield Puppet and 1 Spear-and-Shield Puppet. They fight for up to 15 seconds and disappear early if defeated. Summons cannot stack. Summoning again replaces any existing summons. Consumes 2 Remnant Spark

In areas dense with Sha-Chi (when the icon emits a special glow), press〔Phantom Edges〕to summon 3 Fist Bronze Men. They fight for up to 15 seconds and disappear early if defeated. Summons cannot stack. Summoning again replaces any existing summons. Consumes 2 Remnant Spark

Press 〔Phantom Edges〕repeatedly to perform up to 3 mid-to-long-range slashing combo. The sickle blade deals the most damage, while the chain deals only 30% of the blade's damage. A full combo consumes 1 Remnant Spark

Blackwater Crew disciples wearing fish headed diving helmets and wielding spears. Their sweeping strikes crash like waves, while they leap with the agility of fish. They can also hurl their spears through the air to impale their prey. The diving helmets were originally used for their underwater techniques and shaped like fish as a good luck charm, wishing them to feel as at home in the water as fish. But ever since they began wearing the helmets tightly fastened all day to suppress Sha-Chi, their heads have started to look more and more like fish.

In the village of Lu, speak to Old Man Gen, then cross the stone bridge and look for the gatekeeper on patrol.

Guhe is one of the four Acolytes serving under the High Elder. Through a scarecrow, he conceals himself within the Discordance. Clad in eerie purple robes, he wields deadly poison as a weapon. With a sweep of his fly whisk, toxic mist spreads in all directions, seeping into bone and corroding martial arts. He can also conjure a poisonous double to use the same techniques. At close range, poison erupts from his sleeves and eats away at his enemies. Those afflicted suffer excruciating pain as the poison gnaws at their organs and steadily drains their vitality, until they finally perish in agony. By order of the High Elder, he dwells at the heart of the Meigu Lake islands, watching the lake day and night. Anyone who might hinder the Lady of the Veil’s descent is eliminated without exception. Whenever a ritual array shows signs of disturbance, whatever the cause or truth behind it, he personally goes to dismantle it and strip away the facade. The flesh is but an illusion, and all life eventually decays. Yet when the merciful Lady of the Veil descends, poison will spread across the world and strip away every false appearance... Guhe longs for that day.

Beyond the fissure in the Lady's statue lies the courtyard of a long-abandoned manor. Tattered sedan chairs, opera costumes, and performing puppets crowd its corners. Half a puppet hangs above the central doorway. An Aberrant Three-faced Puppet guards this place. Its masks seem to house three distinct minds. Steel Mask is forceful and decisive. Frost Mask is timid and hesitant, startled by every shadow. Chaos Mask still sleeps. When Soul intrudes, Steel Mask invokes the Herald's promise and attacks. Her fierce swordplay draws upon the Discordance to vanish and shift in an instant, each strike swift and savage. When pressed, she unleashes a powerful assault and forces Soul out. The strength of the other two faces remains unknown. Learn this puppet's weaknesses, and a future encounter may end in her complete defeat.

A "Vessel-class" Swordfighter Puppet with bladed lower legs, built from material harder than refined iron and crafted with exquisite precision. Bi Taotao’s former features still linger in its face, her black hair flowing as before, with a pair of Stormswords in hand, wind and thunder following their strikes. Taking charge of the Baishan Sect feels like only yesterday. Back then, she cast aside her timidity and vowed to weather every storm for the sect and restore it to its former glory. When word came that Huangxing was pushing Perfect Transcension, Bi Taotao rushed to the Mandate Encampment overnight to demand an explanation. Instead, she walked into a trap that closed in from both sides. She believed they still honored the rules of the righteous path. She believed compromise could protect her disciples. In the end, nothing was saved. Her treasured memories were drawn out one by one, leaving her hollow before she was forced into a puppet’s body. The Stormswords remained in her hands, but only emptiness remained within. The wreckage on the training ground fills her with sorrow, only for her to quickly forget why she feels sorrow at all. In the end, she knows only that she has forgotten something deeply important. Even as she suffers from that loss, that memory too is suddenly taken from her.

Face The Hunt, Hunter of the Order at Great Waterfall. Save Sha-Chi for the repeated ranged attacks.

Puppets wielding razor-sharp, iron-toothed umbrellas. As their canopies spin, they unleash one deadly attack after another, yet their movements are dazzling and graceful, for the Lady of the Veil favors all things elegant. The minds transferred into these puppets once belonged to performers at the Mirage Estate. In days past, they danced with silk and paper parasols in the courtyards to delight their audiences. Now, they perform a dance of slaughter for the Lady. They have always fallen just short of becoming “Vessel-class” Puppets. But that does not matter. To serve the Lady is the highest honor, even if it means being shattered to pieces.

Kuye Temple monks subjected to Transcension, gripping heavy bronze staffs with ornate carvings at both ends. Their staff work remains skilled and disciplined, every chop, swing, thrust, and sweep reflecting years of rigorous training at the temple. The Sha-Chi surging from the tower’s core keeps the Sha-Chi within them under control. But once they stray too far from the tower, or anything disrupts that balance, they become mindless husks driven entirely by Sha-Chi.

Brutes armed with spiked shields and crude studded clubs. Agile as well as strong, they alternate shield and club with practiced timing. Rush too close, and the shield's barbs will catch you before a heavy club follows. They were village guards who underwent Transcension to protect their village and stand watch at night. Driven by Sha-Chi, they became the monsters that destroyed their village.

The ruined bodies of villagers, wholly ruled by Sha-Chi. Failed Transcension stripped away their minds and vitality. Unchecked bloodlust drives them to hack at anything before them, their swordplay wild but tireless. The Maskwalkers destroyed their village. The Transcension they hoped would save them destroyed everything that remained.

Enter the mirror forest at the end of the forest chapter. To receive help from the archer, collect all 6 of the Void's memories first.

Chaos Flame burns around her body and coils around the blade in her hand. Years ago, seeking the power of Chaos, she used her own body as fuel and drew the flames within. Ever since, she has been trapped between uncontrollable madness and endless sleep. But she gained the power she sought, unmatched and at the very pinnacle of martial skill. People are often like this. They spend everything chasing the height of martial mastery, only to long for the peace and warmth of ordinary life once they reach it. When she drank the “Three Souls as One” medicine, she did not feel nothing. Sometimes she wonders if that brief moment of hesitation was what ultimately left them as they are now.

Malevolent archers in iron-blue masks. Their faces have long since become hollow, yet Transcension allows them to see distant enemies with perfect clarity. Their arrows fly swiftly and travel great distances. They favor high ground and concentrated volleys, relying on strength in numbers. The Mandate sent them to guard the Sha-Chi Tower. When one of their comrades suffered a grievous injury, they broke the Mandate's rules and used Transcension to save him. As expected, this brought the Mandate's severe punishment and pursuit. Bound by their oath to live and die together, they all underwent Transcension.

Go from Well of the Three Puppets to Covered Bridge. Descend through the right door and remove the red threads. Cross the bridge, turn right and approach the statue grounds.

Bandits wielding a long-handled saber, clad in crude, worn armor and wearing thick masks to suppress Sha-Chi. Their saber skills are poor, and they often fling sand into their opponents’ eyes to obscure their vision, waiting for the chance to strike a killing blow. They had considered joining the Mandate and knew that gifts were expected before one could take a master. Yet no matter how many baskets of grain and cloth they offered, no one would bring them before a sect to seek admission. Enraged, they cut down several members of the Mandate, fled deep into the mountains, and used the power of Transcension to live as they pleased.

The ruined bodies of villagers, utterly ruled by Sha-Chi. They slash and hack wildly with their hoes. Their strength is modest, but their hands are swift. Perhaps they believe they are still at work, gripping the tools that tilled their fields, dimly remembering crop yields and the price of household necessities. But the fields have long lain fallow. There will be no autumn harvest.

With the Chief Disciple at their head, the seven wield their swords as one, arrayed in the shape of the Northern Dipper, hence the name Seven-Star Formation. After Perfect Transcension, they became bound by Sha-Chi, their movements in attack and retreat perfectly synchronized. These seven prided themselves on their integrity, devoted to punishing evil, upholding justice, and honing their swordsmanship, never seeking to contend with others. Yet the Chief Disciple fell in love with a woman from an evil sect, violating the Mandate’s rules. Though his swordsmanship was peerless and his many achievements had long made amends, the alliance still refused to promote him and repeatedly marginalized him. He merely laughed it off and bore every injustice. He would not betray the woman he loved or his sect. Between the irreconcilable paths of "righteousness" and "evil," he sought a path he could follow with a clear conscience. Yet he often felt he owed too much to the junior disciples who had followed him all these years. They never blamed their senior brother, instead burning with indignation over the injustices he suffered. Then that incident... shattered their last respect for the alliance’s upper ranks. They realized that meekly yielding only made them pawns to be used and trampled at will. Consumed by resentment, they underwent Perfect Transcension. The alliance used this to expel them, making them even less known in the Wulin, especially their Chief Disciple, the foremost swordsman who led the formation.

Through the Lóng Pillar, Soul falls into a place where fire and darkness intertwine. The ruins of pavilions burn endlessly in the darkness, as though a disaster has been frozen at its most brutal moment. Amid the scorched earth, a man in black wearing a golden mask slowly appears, his steps calm and his bearing that of a master. Something about it all feels strangely familiar to Soul. The man in black wields an ornate, vivid red blade. His strikes are precise and seasoned, his movements graceful as a shadow. Whenever Soul’s blade draws near, he slips aside in an instant, leaving the attack to fall short. If he meant to win, he would be a formidable opponent, yet he holds back with every strike, deliberately using the battle to guide Soul’s martial arts. Few in the world possess such martial mastery. After the trial, the man in black tells Soul to remember the name “Bastion of Mó.” Clearly, this mysterious master is from the Bastion of Mó... Could he be Mó Yuan, leader of the Bastion of Mó? Could the other Lóng Pillars lead Soul to him again and reveal more answers?

Blackwater Crew disciples wearing fish headed diving helmets, wielding heavy blades with rounded, paddle like tips. Ill suited for thrusting, the weapons are instead used for rapid, powerful chops wreathed in surging Sha-Chi. Slamming the heavy blades into the water can also send massive waves crashing toward their enemies. At first, Perfect Transcension seemed to bring nothing but greater strength, while leaving their minds perfectly clear. Impressed by its effects, they urged their friends to undergo it as well, eager to strengthen their ranks and wipe out the Maskwalkers.

Tall puppets in the shape of women, able to "give birth" to wooden children that land on their feet and scamper about at once. No one knew who first spread the recipe: boil a silk flower inscribed with prayers for a child in the medicine bestowed by the Herald, drink it, then sleep with a red flower over your face. Sons and daughters would surely follow. They obeyed with trembling hearts, bewildered to wake as wooden puppets. Then, in an instant, bewilderment gave way to delight: they could "bear children" whenever they wished... Hee-hee. The Lady truly answered prayers!

Puppets in the likeness of children, forever lively and mischievous. They skip merrily about, then catch the unwary with a sudden shoulder charge or a few swift kicks as they run past. These puppets have form but no substance, existing somewhere between the real and the unreal. They can injure others at will, yet remain untouchable as phantoms... The art of making such puppets should be known only beyond the frontier.

Bandits with some skill in flame saber techniques, they have a taste for flashy red. Their armor may be crude, but their red clothing is hard to miss. They often linger near fire pits, and when enemies appear, they ignite their oil soaked blades and lash out wildly with weapons wreathed in flame. Fire can drive off wild beasts, but it can also level the difference between strong and weak. They draw strength from fire, and Transcension is simply another flame for them to draw upon.

Blue-robed swordsmen whose faces have become hollow voids. Already more accomplished than the white-robed disciples they commanded, their swordplay grew still more formidable after Perfect Transcension: swift as the wind, ruthless and sure. Having undergone Transcension, willingly or otherwise, they were enemies of the Mandate with nowhere left to turn. Pangzhen, too, had become a dead town. No refuge awaited them there. Yet still they longed to escape the Mandate Camp and make their way into Pangzhen, to see their home one last time. Perhaps they could even save a few neighbors or loved ones...

Complete puppets with powerful male forms. More finely crafted and made from sturdier materials than their village counterparts, their bodies resist breaking even when riddled with cracks. As though pulled by strings, they twist unnaturally to deliver swift killing blows. The puppet makers erased the transferred minds' ability to feel pain, yet deliberately preserved their tenacity. These "weapons" became more relentless and fearless, as well as colder and more unfeeling.

Butchers touched by the cold. The virulent poison in their bodies has yet to fade, while their blades already carry a biting, icy Sha-Chi. They guard this snowfield, waiting to slaughter every intruder. For a long time, they have chewed frozen meat, constantly craving fresh, steaming food.

A Maskwalker who repeatedly taunts Soul along the mountain path. He wears a jade mask, its colors gaudy and grotesque. In battle, he can fight alongside two doubles: Jade Mask wields rings with sly, unpredictable movements; Gold Mask wields a sword with cunning strikes; Iron Mask wields a blade with brutal force. Feints and true attacks intertwine, while an eerie grin conceals his deadly intent. He was sent by Huangxing to monitor Soul’s movements, yet he simply watched with amusement as Soul climbed from the foot of the mountain to its peak. His bizarre and unpredictable nature is unlike the others under Huangxing. Combined with his eclectic martial arts and strange techniques, he may even share the same origins as Thread-Binding... Just what role does this man play under Huangxing? Yet the battle in the shrine did not seem to defeat him completely. Perhaps this was the contingency he had kept in reserve.

Purple-clad blade guards who have undergone Perfect Transcension, wielding crescent blades. Asweeping strike can knock back several enemies, while a charged overhead blow carries enough force to split metal and stone. As their purple robes billow, their long blades sweep across the ground with brutal force, leaving flesh and blood in their wake. To stand firm through a hundred battles was once a warrior’s fate and glory. Even death on the battlefield would have been an honorable end. But instead, they were dragged onto Transcension tables and twisted alive into inhuman Maskwalkers.

Hound trainers wearing sinister smiling masks. They know little of martial arts, but have no fear of pain. The many scars covering their bodies were mostly left by the claws of maddened hounds. As long as they are fiercer and more fearless than the beasts, they can command them at will. These hound trainers originally hoped to combine their taming techniques with Transcension to save dogs that had accidentally eaten the rotting corpses of those who underwent Transcension, and rein in their uncontrollable ferocity. Instead, the trainers themselves have become even more crazed than the hounds.

Brutes armed with a short blade and round shield. Their stances look convincing until the flaws show: too slow to begin, too quick to recover. When the shield rises, the legs are exposed. Still, their light feet can punish anyone who relies on strength alone. No master taught them these forms. They picked them up at market fighting rings and caravan resting places. Once, they hoped to save enough to seek a teacher. Then they counted the household grain and their elders' medicine, and put the dream aside... Transcension took only days, with no money and no journey required.

Thread-Binding killers in Big-Head Doll headpieces. Weeping faces, nimble hands and feet; the ice mist they spray can freeze an enemy’s limbs. Arts of endless change make up for their weak bodies and missing limbs. They trained long in ice and snow, breathing in the cold, and mastered the power to freeze a foe in an instant. They need not be trampled anymore. Now it is they who trample others.

At the first floor of the tower, descend the front-right staircase to the bottom. Take the left stairs up to Hua, Deadly Betrothed.

Puppets in the form of musicians, cradling instruments carved from ice. At the touch of their fingers, chilling notes become frost blades, freezing everything around them. The consciousness sealed within them once belonged to renowned musicians, who once used music to give voice to joy and sorrow and the world of mortal life. Now, trapped within these frozen shells, they can only play notes of slaughter again and again.

On an island in northern Meigu Lake, Soul encounters You Loong again. Drawn here by instinct, he wields the Blackwater Crew’s treasured Loong Trident, while Sha-Chi rises from his damaged Loong Helm. His once-disciplined techniques are now wild and vicious, driven by bloodlust. Even the surging waves seem bent on slaughter. He was once a reckless youth, a bold leader who gathered heroes and fought to defend the Mandate against the Maskwalkers. Now Sha-Chi has consumed him. He clings to his last shred of clarity only to return here. But the Blackwater Crew’s headquarters is no longer what it was. His fellow crew members have become fish-headed monsters, turning on the village they once swore to protect. The villagers who once brought them food and drink have either fled or been devoured. He still remembers his duty as their leader. But there is no one left to protect.

In the barren graveyard, Xue gnaws on rotting corpses. She casts hungry looks at the living and the dead within sight. As she swings her rake wildly, she can summon several shadowy figures in her own image. While fleeing disaster last year, Xue nearly died of cold and hunger. A band of wandering heroes came to her aid, promising to keep her safe and teach her martial arts. But their promises ended in a clash with Maskwalkers outside the encampment. She can no longer remember which of them told her to hide and promised to return... When she went looking for them, she found only a few mutilated bodies, their faces unrecognizable. Xue buried the bodies, gathered up what lay scattered around, and waited quietly for the heroes to return... But her pack grew emptier by the day. There had long been nothing left to eat inside. When hunger struck again, she dug into the soft earth before her. A voice in her head told her that vegetable roots and sweet potatoes could be found beneath the soil...

Defeat Gu Wanyue, drop into the well and follow ladders and boards to Well of Wei Sanchuan. Climb the outside stairs to start the fight.

Five Lóng Pillars, five reunions, yet they could never make up for more than thirty years apart. Across those countless days and nights, he missed too many important moments in Soul’s life. He never heard Soul’s first words or watched him take his first steps. He was not there to teach him to read, introduce him to martial arts, or personally pass down the Bastion of Mó’s techniques. The Bastion bloodline carries immense Sha-Chi, demanding exceptional strength and control. Without someone from the Bastion to guide him, Soul was bound to endure far more hardship... Fortunately, Soul has grown up safe. He now stands tall, and his martial skill is already no less than Mó Yuan’s own. In every move, Mó Yuan sees the hardship of those thirty years, as well as Soul’s search and uncertainty today. Soul is walking his own path. Beyond guiding his martial arts and teaching him to master the power in his blood, all Mó Yuan can do is let him know that someone will always be there for him. But saying everything in his heart might only become a burden. Better to leave all the words he cannot say within each exchange of blades. He can only hope that these trials will help Soul clear the path ahead.

Monks with skin that gleams like brass. Agile and sure-footed, they strike with measured force, their flesh and bones hardening like copper and iron in an instant. They circle and probe, then lunge through an opening with a crushing fist. They entered the Sha-Chi Tower to find their master from Kuye Temple, only to be ambushed. When the Sha-Chi Furnace exploded, it swallowed most of their fellow monks. The survivors fared little better. Molten copper infused with Sha-Chi forged their bodies as hard as copper and iron, but burned away their reason.

Yang Puppets skilled with spears and round brass shields. Their joints and balance have been finely tuned for fierce attacks and steady defense. Even when their shields shatter, they fight to the end with spears in hand. A puppet's body never tires, and the mind within can never sleep. It can only turn its hatred of captivity over and over in its wooden prison. They have no faces that can show anger, no throats or tongues to voice their anguish. These fractured minds have forgotten even how to vent their misery. All their fury must flow into the tips of their spears.

Mandate disciples armed with heavy mechanical crossbows, usually stationed on elevated platforms to keep watch. Though slowed by their heavy armor and weapons, they sound a sharp whistle at the first sign of danger before opening fire. If enemies close in, they swing the heavy crossbow mechanism like a blunt weapon. These sentries had long seen the Mandate's deep rooted corruption. Before Huangxing introduced Perfect Transcension, cleansing those old ills was little more than empty talk. Afterward, they finally had the power to purge them by force.

A girl wearing a Big-Head Doll headpiece, one half smiling brightly, the other weeping. She spent her days waiting for her father and her nights crying into her pillow. Perhaps her tears soaked one side of the headpiece, leaving it with this strange expression of joy and sorrow. Her father wanted her far from the violence of the Wulin and hoped she would live a peaceful, happy life. Before his death, he left a letter warning her against the temptations of evil spirits... but it never reached her. Without her father, she had nowhere to call home. She trusted the masked members of the Thread-Binding Sect, believing they could help her find him. Instead, they Transcended her and placed the headpiece on her, never to be removed. She still searches for her father, but has found only puppets as lonely and helpless as herself. She calls them “friends,” and together they stop passersby, searching for traces of their loved ones. Anyone who wishes to harm her must first get past her “friends.”

Climb the long stairs from Backstreet Archway to the top.

From the terrace bell, follow the torches uphill with the waterwheel on your right. At ①, rail A is farther from the wheel than rail B. Both simulated landings from the middle of the rails reach the lower field. The jump into the courtyard is unconfirmed. For the known route, follow blue to ②, run up the wall and follow blue to ③.

Puppets in the likeness of village elders, their heads wreathed in an eerie green glow. At the sight of someone, they tear off their heads and smash them against the ground. Moments later, the heads burst, spreading a vast cloud of poison. At first, the elders staunchly opposed turning the ancestral hall into a temple to the Lady. Anyone who suggested it was denounced for betraying the ancestors. As wooden puppets filled the village, their objections grew quieter. They even began wearing the red flowers bestowed by the Herald before they went to sleep.

Complete puppets with female forms, supple and agile. More finely crafted and made from lighter materials than their village counterparts, they bend their waists and limbs at impossible angles, as though pulled by strings, to deliver unexpected killing blows. The puppet makers stripped most memories, emotions, and humanity from the minds transferred into these bodies. All that remains is the instinct best suited to killing, and the conviction that they were born to be weapons.

Baishan disciples who wield paired daggers with light, agile footwork. They twist and dart close to their enemies, unleashing a flurry of thrusts. Rather than trying to match their speed, wait for an opening when they finish their attack. Their senior sisters argued at length over whether Perfect Transcension was a wicked art or a blessing. The younger disciples saw it more simply: if no one could say for certain, why not try it themselves? How, then... did they come to this?

Puppets dressed as scholars, with no books of the sages in their hands and no words of virtue on their lips. Only Chaos Fire pours from their mouths, eager to burn everything for the Lady. After more than a decade of arduous study, these scholars from humble homes left their village and slowly learned the truth: powerful families had every road to advancement in their grip. All their lofty ambitions were little more than a joke at the tables of the rich. Despairing, they returned to the village and worshipped the Lady day and night. Even in their dreams, they longed for her to send down a cleansing fire and raze the world's injustice.

A madwoman who attacks anyone she encounters on the mountain paths of the Mountain of Imprisonment. Her purple clothes are tattered and worn, her bronze mask rough and twisted, her gray hair wild and unkempt. She wields a heavy spiked club, swinging and smashing it in a frenzy with no discernible technique. When the Mandate and Huangxing’s followers were fighting over the passage, Kui Yanyan suddenly burst into the fray. She still vaguely remembers the tragedy of her beloved son. After he became a Maskwalker, the villagers butchered him before her eyes. In her grief, she removed the Transcension device from his body and implanted it in her own, sacrificing the blood of an entire village to his memory. Since then, she has wandered in search of medicine, clinging to the delusion that she can bring her son back... Those cries and clashes must mean someone has come to kill her child again... Whatever they are fighting to the death to seize must be the miraculous medicine that can save her flesh and blood... She raises her spiked club and charges into the clash of blades.

Mandate archers who have undergone Transcension can loose a sudden rain of fire arrows, turning the earth into a sea of flame. In fire attacks, timing is everything: take advantage of the wind and wait for dry conditions. Fire Archers are adept at reading the situation, seizing the moment, and taking the advantage. When the Mandate descended into internal strife, it was no surprise that they quickly sided with those who had undergone Perfect Transcension.

Puppets shaped like old men, their faces twisted in agony. Perhaps something went awry when the villagers' minds were transferred into them. Before the village fell into decline, its people often argued over who had driven the Maskwalkers away. Some credited the heroes of the Mandate; others said the Lady had protected them. The peace-loving elders would always intervene: the Lady had sent the Mandate's heroes to save them all. In time, more and more puppets roamed the village, while fewer and fewer villagers remained awake. Now, however bitter the dispute, only grotesque puppets appear to settle it, wrenching off their own heads and hurling them at the quarrelers.

Kuye Temple monks subjected to Transcension, now standing watch within the Sha-Chi Tower. Day after day, scalding molten iron pours over their bodies, yet they remain motionless, as if they have become part of the steel tower itself. When living intruders enter, Sha-Chi stirs them into action, and they unleash the demon-subduing fist techniques they once practiced. Strange events have plagued Pangzhen of late. First came the incident at Mirage Estate, then the spread of the slumbering sickness. After worshippers reported strange noises from the Sha-Chi Tower, the monks left Kuye Temple to investigate the source.

His flesh and armor lie torn open, yet his ruined body does not fall. Through the bloody mist, two steel arms unfold from the Hunt's back and grasp another pair of gleaming chain sickles. His four arms strike in turn or send all four scythes flying at once, extending and recoiling without pattern. Their pull can shake the earth and raise blasts of force. Even in retreat, he can strike back to kill. Such is the extraordinary result of Transcension applied to the Order's Shadow Wardens: monsters that remain faithful to the new Shadow Sovereign, however grotesque their alterations. The Hunt does not notice the ceaseless demand for slaughter screaming through his mind. Butchering Maskwalkers and Mandate fighters brings no satisfaction... He blames his quarry. This Master Soul is more troublesome than any before him, and must surely offer greater pleasure in the hunt. Yet is the hunter himself not prey to his own desires?

Kuye Temple monks whose bodies seem cast from gold. Their ringed sabers gleam coldly, with iron rings lining the backs of the blades and clattering with every swing. After being subjected to Transcension, they used the last of their sanity to drive out those who had performed the procedure, then sealed themselves inside the Sha-Chi Tower.

The searing Sha-Chi within the great tower has forged these monks into living “Gold Men.” When they channel their power, their skin gleams like red gold, impervious to blades and spears, while their fists strike with tremendous force. However, powerful attacks with heavy weapons such as great axes can disrupt their stance and break through their protective Sha-Chi.

Thread-Binding killers wearing a Big-Head Doll Headpiece. In battle, they shake the rattle drums in their hands to bolster their companions, dancing and laughing to the beat. Their laughter is hollow and distorted, as though they were cheering and praying to some malevolent spirit. According to Thread-Binding teachings, rattle drums were once ritual objects before becoming children’s toys. These killers believe that children, being pure of heart, are especially receptive to the supernatural and can awaken the strange power sealed within the drums. To achieve this, they take drugs for years, causing both their bodies and minds to regress to a childlike state. Their rattle drums have indeed gained a measure of strange power, but they themselves have become frail and ill-suited to combat. Their only means of self-defense is a reckless headbutt before turning tail and fleeing.

Madwomen skilled with daggers, swift and light on their feet. They are poor at blocking and rarely engage enemies head-on, instead instinctively circling to the side and hurling several daggers in the blink of an eye. Those blades may once have been hidden beneath their pillows, kept only for self-defense. Transcension turned all their fear into murderous intent directed at anything living.

Having cast aside the Tiger Cannon, Lei Dang unleashes a ferocious one-armed fighting style. His punches strike with enough force to shake the mountains, sending waves of power slicing forward like blades. He can also slam the ground with tremendous force, throwing his opponent off balance and leaving them exposed. If he leaps high into the air and crashes down with the force of thunder, the only way to avoid the attack is to use the terrain to get clear. Lei Dang now knows that what he took was the true Trickster’s medicine. Every part of Leng Tu’s scheme was connected, and everyone caught in it had been trapped from the very beginning. But Soul may be the one exception, the only variable in a predetermined outcome, and the last hope for countless ordinary people. He may also be the one who can secure the Radiant Heart for Shadow Sovereign Zuo. And if Lei Dang can face his old friend Soul, the renowned former Shadow Edict “Blackscar,” in one final fight before he dies, he will have no regrets.

Turn left at the Outlaw Trap bell and cross the cave. With THE FANATIC'S BROKEN BLADE, you can attack Jing Ye from a distance while tipsy.

The senior disciple of the Baishan Sect and Bi Taotao’s first disciple. When Soul encountered Wu Lengshuang in the Confinement, her mask was already cracked as she struggled to suppress the Sha-Chi surging within her. Even with a soft sword in hand, supple yet unyielding, she retained her usual grace and poise. Like Bi Taotao, Wu Lengshuang believed both Perfect Transcension and Transcension to be unorthodox arts. After her master disappeared, she set out to find her and uncover the truth. She never imagined her fellow disciples had been turned into Maskwalkers and Puppets until she saw it herself. After uncovering the truth, she too was transformed. Even as her Sha-Chi spiraled out of control, she remained concerned for her master, who had been taken to the end of the mountain path. Born the daughter of a wealthy merchant, she took up martial arts after seeing the chaos of the world. The flexibility she developed through dance became frenzied swordplay under Sha-Chi’s influence. Once the senior disciple of Baishan, she could no longer protect her sect or face her elders. Transformed in body and tormented at heart, only loyalty and sorrow remained.

Go from Huang Manor Crossroads to the street where the enemies are fighting.

Hansui is one of the four Acolytes serving under the High Elder. Through a crystal eyeball, he conceals himself within the Discordance. Clad in pale blue robes and wielding a whisk, Hansui turns ice into a weapon of slaughter. With a sweep of his whisk, jagged glaciers burst from the ground as rows of ice spikes spread outward. He can also summon biting winds and freeze the surrounding land into a field of snow. By order of the High Elder, Hansui watches over Crimson Manor to ensure the crystal eyeball never changes hands. To make certain of this, he willingly separated a sliver of his consciousness and allowed the High Elder to seal it within the eye. Through this bond, he can conceal himself within the Discordance. The Herald sensed something amiss but could not sever the connection, so the eye was embedded in the Scavenger. Hansui’s consciousness thus became bound to the creature, and should the Scavenger die, Hansui would suffer as well. Fortunately, the Scavenger was an experimental creation that survived even with weapons driven through its body. Hansui became deeply fascinated by this near-immortal resilience. Life and death, flourishing and decay, pass in an instant. Yet when the Merciful Lady descends, eternal frost shall seal the world in ice, and all things beneath Heaven will know eternity... Hansui longs for that day.

Puppets carved with simple, honest smiles can do nothing but smile forever. They smile when they fall on field ridges or stone roads, coating themselves in mud and cracking their wooden bodies. They smile when they lunge at the living, as though pulled by invisible strings.

Cold iron chains bind the Crusher’s feet, while a massive hammer is chained to his hand. One arm and leg are thick with muscle, while the other pair are withered and frail. Born with this uneven body and stubborn by nature, he trained only his stronger side, becoming more fearsome with each passing year. Most who see him are too intimidated to notice the faceless creature perched on his shoulders. That creature is the Saw. Riding on the Crusher’s neck, he repeatedly cuts into his flesh with a bone saw, using the pain to drive him into a frenzy and send him charging at his enemies without restraint. All the while, the Saw’s shrill, manic laughter rings out, chilling anyone who hears it before the fight even begins. The Crusher, however, only grows more ferocious with every laugh.

A martial artist who fights with Iron Gauntlets and the senior brother of Iron Fever. Hulking and stern faced, he stands firm as a mountain and strikes with tremendous force. Alongside Jade Dancer, he trains Young Mistress Mu Xiaokui in martial arts and serves as her guard, the two working seamlessly together. Though the grudges of his sect had been settled, unrest still simmered throughout the Wulin. Iron Fiend had intended to step away from the turmoil, but the Order's invitation and the "rules" it upheld convinced him to join. Within the Order, Iron Fiend took on the duty of guarding the Young Mistress. "Protect the weak and raise your fists against the strong" had always been the martial path he followed. Over time, his loyalty only deepened. In Xiaokui, he saw a clear and kind heart, and the strength to lead others. She was worth protecting with his life, and he would do all he could to help her grow. Now the old Shadow Sovereign is dead, and Soul, one of the Shadow Edicts, has defected. The Order has been thrown into upheaval. Though Iron Fiend laments what has happened, he has no desire to pass judgment. The Young Mistress's decision is his own.

Baishan Sect Guardians who have undergone Perfect Transcension. Wearing conical hats and flowing purple robes, they remain swift and deadly with the sword even as their faces have hollowed out, their movements like a bird flashing across the sky. They once trusted their fellow disciples enough to turn their backs to them, believing they stood together. Yet the blade still came from behind. Perhaps the greatest danger was never the Maskwalkers in front of them.

Songstress Puppets in snow-white robes, their hair pale as frost. They lunge at the living with sharp claws and twisted movements. Their once beautiful voices have become piercing screams, carrying a bitter cold that can freeze the blood of anyone who hears them. The medicine meant to keep them from becoming puppets instead left them as puppets under another's control. The Phantom Arts, songs, and dances they once relied on to make a living have all been turned into merciless means of killing.

Fierce birds with disheveled feathers and rotting skin, grown unnaturally large from feeding on the corpses of those transformed by Sha-Chi. Sha-Chi has warped their scavenging instincts, driving them to attack the living. They peck with their beaks and tear with their talons, greedily seeking fresh flesh.

Yang Puppets fitted with alloy hand cannons; the right hand is wholly replaced by a firearm. Destroying their opponents is the only meaning of their existence. They resemble an old friend of Soul’s. After losing his right arm, that friend too had a cannon fitted to make up for his missing limb. But Soul’s old friend was a man of flesh and blood, with feelings and honor... No one should become a weapon of slaughter like this.

Blackwater Crew disciples who underwent Transcension to improve their prowess in the water. Along with gill slits, they developed bulging eyes, broad mouths, thick lips, and blue-green scales: the very likeness of fish. These changes make them adept at hiding underwater and escaping through it. They also use their grotesque antics to mock their enemies before gathering their fellows for a concerted attack. Nowadays, these creatures can be found in almost any sizeable pond. Even they have likely forgotten their old boasts of helping the Mandate rid the world of Maskwalkers.

Brutes reeking of charred flesh and decay, their blue-black bodies now impervious to the searing flames of Chaos. Their bodies twisted and contorted, they hurl bottles of burning oil with all their strength, each one ablaze with the fires of Chaos. These brutes worship that chaotic flame. Lost in endless madness, only its fire can bring back the warmth and peace they once knew, gathered around the hearth.

On the high platform, three disciples catch a red thread on their sword tips and draw the Chief Disciple up with it, leaving him hanging upside down in midair. Pulled by the strings, he swings the blade in his hands, like a puppet trying to break free of its strings; like a wraith, he sprays countless razor-sharp red threads from the black hollows of his face, winding and slicing through the air like tears of blood. He once loved a woman from an evil sect. The Mandate’s upper ranks would not tolerate their love, and with a single order, they tore the lovers apart. The Chief Disciple had known little beyond the sword formation. What did he know of schemes and intrigue? For the first time in his life, he clumsily defied his sect. In return, he could only watch helplessly as the woman he loved was tortured and left covered in wounds. Even his peerless sword formation could not protect the one he wanted to protect. Once his heart was broken, there was little left he feared losing. He entrusted everything he had left to the strings. And what if he looked like a puppet hanging upside down? At least the strings of that puppet would be held in their own hands.

Spear-and-Shield Yang Puppets wreathed in ghostly purple aura. Their shields bear a wrathful face with jaws thrown wide, meant to intimidate their foes. Their defense is solid as an iron wall, and the shield can spew Chaos Flame from its mouth. Their spear techniques are vicious and unpredictable, and even as cracks spread across their bodies, they never retreat. Chosen through ruthless trials and trained as weapons, they have long since lost the emotions they once had as humans. Whatever remains of their shattered consciousness is sustained by a single unwavering belief: when the Lady descends, she will grant them new bodies fit to walk the new world.

A woman who wanders before a ruined songhouse, playing the zither in her arms day and night without rest. The instrument seems almost alive, its ringing notes giving voice to her pent-up resentment and indignation, spilling them over any living thing that strays here. Yan’er was once a renowned zither player who captivated every audience. She thought she had found true love with a great hero and even bore his child, only to be met with an assassin’s blade... In the debauched life of that Mandate sect leader, there was never any place for the happiness a lowly musician could hope for. After narrowly surviving the calamity, Yan’er was taken in by the High Elder and given the name Yan Qiansui. But what the High Elder truly wanted was the child in her womb. To him, her unborn child was merely a sacrifice to shorten the passage. When Yan Qiansui learned the truth behind her child’s death, she was alive in body but dead inside. Yet it seemed all she could do was flee from the truth. Only the zither that had always remained by her side could offer her a little comfort, allowing her to lose herself in a fleeting dream of past splendor and seek a salvation that never existed.

A graceful musician puppet cradling a zither. Beneath its clear, ringing notes lies deadly intent. Music meant for killing can no longer remain in harmony, so blocking its blue sound waves causes the lingering notes to rebound against it. As plague swept through Pangzhen, most of their fellow musicians fled, leaving them with no one to turn to. A man had promised to come for them so they could escape together. Clutching the zither they depended on, they waited and waited... But the one they longed for never came. Instead, they were met with the forbidden art of Soul Displacement.

A faceless man in purple rides hard along the main road in pursuit, one of the Order's killers. He excels at tracking down his targets and striking when they let their guard down. From afar, he can fire with deadly accuracy even at full gallop, coordinating seamlessly with his comrades. Up close, he uses the momentum of his charging horse to swing his double-ended blade in powerful, sweeping strikes. Those marked as prey often never sense his presence before gunfire cuts them down. Even if they somehow escape, it only means the Order's hunt has just begun.

Floating heads of Yin Puppets, their faces twisted into grotesque shapes. Within their shattered skulls burns an unending Chaos Flame. The horrors of the Discordance burned away their bodies and forced the consciousness trapped within to glimpse a terror capable of destroying everything, driving them forever into delirium and madness. They shriek almost without pause, desperate to force the horrifying abyss they once glimpsed into the minds of every living person they encounter.

Assassins of the Thread-Binding Sect, fighting with strange and unpredictable techniques. At times, they brace their blades against the ground and skim forward low to the earth. At others, they suddenly leap into the air and thrust with twin blades from twisted, unnatural angles. Once driven into a frenzy, they recklessly tear the long sword from the top of their head and lash out with vicious, rapid strikes. They polish their blades with the blood of the defeated, or let their own blood soak into the earth.

Thieves in brightly colored smiling masks, reckless in their ways and insolent in their beckoning taunts. They carry several firethorns, which they toss in quick succession as they mock their foes. Moments after landing, the explosives detonate with a roar, leaving a searing sea of fire.

Blackwater Crew disciples who combine ice techniques with Transcension, wielding crescent shaped scythes that trail bitter cold with every swing. Skilled at concealing their presence, they hide among the snow and wait for the chance to ambush their prey. Once avid ice fishers who spent years in frigid waters, they have now become formidable hunters in the snow. Strike the snow with the Loong Trident to break their camouflage and force them into view.

Huangxing’s elite personal guards, clad in black and wielding broad, heavy blades. Their techniques are fierce and overpowering, relying on sheer force to break through skill. They move like ghosts, vanishing in an instant and reappearing with their blades already crashing down toward the enemy’s head. By nature, they are honest and easygoing, rarely harsh toward others. For ten years, they devoted themselves to the righteous path, yet remained largely unknown, while smooth talking opportunists claimed the credit and the praise. They had long grown used to this. Until the comrades who had fought beside them through life and death began dying one by one from wounds and illness, all while waiting for reinforcements that never came.

The phantom realm fades, and Sha-Chi spills forth. The Mirrorwood is sealed in ice and snow, all sound swallowed by the frost, leaving the forest quiet and still. The tree where Bai Chilian once dwelled now stands empty, replaced by the Chaos Puppet that appeared that day in the Rift Estate. This bitterly cold place is the perfect refuge for her, as one of the puppet’s consciousnesses fears heat and craves the cold. The puppet’s three faces bicker without end, yet the moment they wield that bone-chilling Chaos Blade, they act as one. The three faces take control of the body in turn, the blade at times cloaked in frost, at times wreathed in Chaos Flames, and at times gleaming like steel. For a moment, it is as if they have returned to twenty years ago. They too once walked the Wulin side by side, swords in hand, full of youthful spirit. Then one became timid, while another fell into a sleep from which she never awoke. In the end, the three fused into one, enduring unbearable agony without a moment’s peace. They fled here hoping to escape the Herald’s control. Yet now, as they fight, the burning pain within the body becomes unbearable, and the feeling of being bound grows ever stronger, as if the Herald had hidden some mechanism within them, now clamoring to tear the three of them apart...

Yang Puppets wielding heavy halberds, with sharp blades in place of feet. The blades skim the ground as if over ice, letting them glide and spin into sudden attacks, driving the bone-chilling cold gathered along their halberds into their enemies. All of them chose to be turned into Puppets. Their flesh-and-blood bodies had already been ruined fighting for the Lady, so they cast them aside and continued their killing with unwavering devotion in cold shells that never bleed or tire.

Madwomen in red carrying monstrous great blades. Though thin and hunched, they unleash freakish strength when swinging such heavy weapons, tearing through the air with every blow. Their attacks have no form or discipline, only the savage urge to crush every living thing before them. The Mandate could not be relied upon. Nor could family, friends, lovers, gods, or Buddhas. So they lay down on the Transcension table, hoping that with nothing but their own hands and a blade, they could carve a way through this hopeless world.

Blackwater Crew disciples with octopuses wrapped around their necks, their kicks fierce and savage. They carry specially made explosive rounds that unleash a burst of lightning on impact, instantly paralyzing the enemy’s limbs and leaving them unable to move. News of the Maskwalkers’ rampage stirred these men’s fighting spirit. They sought to undergo Transcension and use the ammunition they crafted themselves to wipe out the Maskwalkers.

When that steel blade is in her hand, frost covers the edge and ice hangs from its ridge. She summons wind and snow, driving the blade into the earth to raise a towering wave of snow. A sweep of cold freezes anything it touches in an instant, locking blood and meridians in ice. As the second sister, she was clingy by nature, relying on her elder and younger sisters for everything. She loved ice from childhood. Its surface was clear as a mirror, reflecting her pure eyes. The ice never scolded her; it only listened. She gradually came to fear the world, yet never the ice. Following its cold glimmers, she entered the frozen realm and became one with the ice. From then on, she feared every warmth in the world. Later, she overcame her fear for the first and only time, drinking the scalding medicine in hopes of reuniting with her sisters. She made a three-headed cloth doll, each head smiling, the three souls as one, just as they had vowed never to part. Her words became prophecy. Somehow, the doll became the grotesque creature it is today, and for twenty years, the sisters have been unable to separate. Her younger sister’s fire burns her skin without cease, driving her deeper into madness and fear. Three sisters who once complemented one another—how did becoming one body turn their bond into such torment?

A ghost-faced saw wheel bursts from his body and merges with the Flying Guillotine. His mind takes shape as a phantom realm, where the statue of the Lady of the Veil stands tall, revealing the supreme secret he longs to uncover and the overwhelming power he seeks to claim. It also conceals the true statue in the shrine, and the gaze of Moji sealed within it. The saw wheel roars and spins. He has cast aside the form of a human, and seems to have cast aside the last of his humanity. It was he who sealed Moji inside the statue, to prove himself right, to make him witness the Mandate’s decay, and to show him the new Wulin he would forge. The saw wheel roars and spins. His remaining guilt, rage, and resentment, the last vestiges of his humanity, seem to fade away. The power he seeks is so immense. What does it matter if he sacrifices his flesh and humanity to obtain it? The saw wheel roars and spins. He throws himself into a frenzy of slaughter, finally freed from having to face the statue in his heart. Moji would never accept him like this. Now, he no longer needs his approval.

Elites under Huangxing. Their faces are hidden behind black iron masks traced in gold. Brown fur overlaps their armor, allowing them to blend seamlessly into the grass and trees as they move through the mountains. Skilled with bow and sword, they can close in and trade blows if their arrows fail to bring down their prey. They were once members of the Mandate, but weary of its hypocrisy, they had long since retired to the countryside. When Huangxing called them back, they underwent Perfect Transcension alongside him, hoping to help him uphold justice, and root out all corruption and injustice... The arrows that once brought down hares and wild geese now have living men in their sights.

Red-clad disciples of the righteous path who combine the techniques of the Sect of the Scarlet Knife with Perfect Transcension. Using blood as a catalyst, they unleash blood-red Sha-Chi with a thunderous roar, driving nearby Perfect Transcended into a frenzy. Some less accomplished swordsmen, or those who took up martial arts later in life, feared that Perfect Transcension alone would not help them stand out among their peers. They turned to these techniques instead, gaining both greater strength and a following of their own. When the escaping blood aura began staining their clothes red, they simply changed into crimson robes. The stench of blood, however, is impossible to hide.

At the summit of the Mountain of Imprisonment, in the temple of the Lady of the Veil, Huangxing, once one of the Three Pillars of Kunlun and now the mastermind behind Perfect Transcension, holds court. Wearing a masked helm, his left arm from the elbow down is composed of intricate mechanisms. With it, he can wield the Flying Guillotine at range or draw his sword for close combat, his attacks forceful and relentless. Countless opponents of Perfect Transcension have died by his hand. He will use their blood to forge a new path. The Mandate’s upper ranks are corrupt, its disciples weak; those in power lack resolve, while those with resolve lack power. Yuyin clings to the Wulin’s rules, while Moji is painfully naive. These injustices have prolonged the bloodshed and caused countless needless deaths. He joined forces with Master Bai to conspire against Yuyin and the Chord. He pushed Perfect Transcension through the Encampment, seized the Mountain of Imprisonment with his elite followers, and showed no mercy to those who opposed him, even Moji. A new Wulin, a new Phantom World, is unfolding before him. There is no need to look down at the bones beneath his feet.

Wan Jun, a massive hammer wielder guarding the Mandate Encampment, bears scars across his body from Perfect Transcension. His Bashpole can shatter stone and shake the ground with every blow. Feared for his strength and mocked for being slow-witted, Wan Jun found companionship only in the pigeons that perched on his arms. Huangxing scolded him for wasting such strength on birds and taught him Perfect Transcension, promising it would sharpen his mind and make him a warrior admired across the Wulin. No one had ever expected so much of Wan Jun before. From then on, he followed Huangxing without question. Even as Sha-Chi clouded his mind, he remained at the Encampment gate, carrying out his orders. The Encampment now lies in ruins, but the pigeons still linger beside him. When Soul finally defeats him, one thought flashes through his fading mind: Huangxing’s promise that Perfect Transcension came without cost was a lie.

A frenzied, arrogant brute in a mask cobbled together from scrap metal, wielding a broad-headed axe in one hand. Dried blood cakes the heavy blade. When it comes down, its weight and force are brutal, every blow filled with madness. He once followed closely behind his reckless elder brother, quietly cleaning up the mess he left behind. He always remembered their mother’s teaching: they were brothers by blood and should help one another. Even after Transcension, he had not forgotten it entirely. So why, when the Mandate captured him, did his own brother not even look back? Later, he stood guard at a Mandate camp, serving under them. And the Mandate that had once stood above all, hunting the two brothers, had long since fallen into becoming Maskwalkers little different from himself... There is no right or wrong left in this world. Everyone should be loyal only to themselves.

A master of the flaming blade, clad in robes patterned with fire. The mask that once concealed his burns now covers a hollow face, suppressing the frenzied Sha-Chi brought on by Transcension. His blade needs no outside flame to ignite it: fire springs from the steel itself, each sweeping stroke unleashing a blazing inferno. Years ago, Zhu Yuan survived a battlefield engulfed in flames. He watched the swiftest blades and the thickest volleys of arrows vanish into the conflagration. Entranced by that all-consuming power, he threw himself into the study of fire, tempering his swordplay in its heat. Even burns across his entire body could not deter his quest to command the flames. The furnaces of the Sha-Chi Tower burn day and night, their molten metal flowing without rest. A device left here was used to transform Zhu Yuan, enabling his body to withstand extreme heat and taking his blade technique to new heights. He battled the flames until he could finally fuse fire with his blade and command it through Sha-Chi.

Disciples wearing lion dance heads, their martial techniques derived from the movements of lion dance. In battle, they bound and charge in the guise of an auspicious lion, and can suddenly breathe flames from its mouth like a ferocious beast. Lion dance is meant to transform the performer’s spirit into that of the lion. Transcension instead traps that spirit beneath the lion head and turns it toward killing. As their spirit gradually withers, their bodies shrink with it. In battle, they often become confused and disoriented, sometimes unable to tell friend from foe and attacking their own companions.

Kuye Temple monks now reduced to guards of the Sha-Chi Tower. Their weathered monk staffs, once used by warrior monks to subdue foes, have grown dark and worn with age. Now they wield them with brutal force, chopping, swinging, thrusting, and sweeping at any living intruder. Only after Sha-Chi consumed them did they realize the truth: every uncertain clue they had followed was part of a trap designed to lure them into the tower.

From Mirrorwood Entrance, jump down to the clearing and challenge Iron Fever.

Healers in bloodstained masks. Vines have replaced their arms, drawing Sha-Chi and life force from female disciples to heal both themselves and Maskwalkers. Only the living are beyond their care. Did they cut off their own arms in order to undergo Transcension, or seek Transcension to improve themselves after severing their arms? They have forgotten, and no longer care. These healers have lost their hearts, surrendering themselves to the sweetness of blood and life force.

Mounted raiders armed with long-handled sabers, round shields, and longbows. From horseback, they bear down on their enemies with savage strikes and can loose arrows in rapid succession even at a gallop. Even when unhorsed, they can still fend for themselves with the weapons they carry, fighting with the same brutal, unrefined style as the more skilled bandits. Like their leader, they envied the Mandate disciples who patrolled the mountains on horseback, convinced that riding a horse would raise their own standing. They repeatedly stole horses from caravans and relay stations, then used their new mounts to make their raids and robberies more successful than ever.

To unlock the bodyguard phase, collect all 5 ribbons in VILLAGE OF LU before fighting Mu Xiaokui. Complete the timed inputs during the fight.

Puppets shaped like village women, their faces delicately carved. They began to appear in the village from time to time some two years ago. Back then, they were neither so broken nor so uncanny, and they did not leap upon the living to claw at them. Most adults gave these strange things a wide berth. Curious children, however, would gather around, sometimes laughing as they called out, "Village Beauty!" And sometimes, the Village Beauty would lift a hand and pat a child's head.

Shadow Wardens of the Order armed with muskets, often concealed along high eaves and rooftops. Their weapons have exceptional range, allowing them to pick off enemies with precise long range shots or, after briefly taking aim, fire in rapid succession to suppress them with concentrated fire. Unlike their peers who favor close combat, these assassins lurking in the shadows possess far greater patience and ruthlessness. They wait silently for the right moment, then pull the trigger with deadly precision.

Bomb carriers wandering the Sha-Chi Tower, searching for something that might suppress their surging Sha-Chi. The immense bombs on their backs weigh down every step. Yet at the sight of an enemy, Sha-Chi drives them into pursuit, intent on mutual destruction. Attacks with fire can detonate their bombs sooner. They once belonged to the Sky-Thunder Sect and prided themselves on innovation, quietly mocking swordsmen who knew nothing of gunpowder or ingenious machinery. Their bombs could store both gunpowder and Sha-Chi... By the time Transcension's flaws emerged, it was too late.

Defective Yang Puppets with neither torsos nor heads, only waists and legs. Still they kick, trample, and charge recklessly about. Little consciousness remains within. Only the instinct to survive keeps these ruined bodies moving.

Brutes in ragged yellow robes, swinging crude clubs studded with iron spikes. They leap high to bring the weapon crashing down, or whirl it in a succession of savage blows. Those yellow robes once marked village laborers, easily recognized and ordered about. No one barks orders at them now. Only the deepening red upon their masks bears witness to their countless atrocities.

Baishan Scouts who have undergone Perfect Transcension. Fierce and deadly, they wield powerful leg techniques and move in and out of combat like the wind. Armed with hand crossbows, they excel at skirmishing, loosing bolts the instant they cross an enemy's path or slip into a blind spot. Perfect Transcension may carry hidden risks, but danger is nothing new to them. Scouting enemy lines, carrying intelligence, infiltrating places few return from... Every step through the Wulin is fraught with peril. If they are unwilling to take risks, how can they protect the Baishan Sect as it struggles to survive?

Swordsman who have undergone Perfect Transcension. Swift on their feet and seasoned with the blade, they wield their twin swords with fluid precision, their strikes flowing seamlessly from one to the next. As they flip and whirl through the air, they flash like purple lightning across the sky, every movement deadly. They had sensed the growing tension within the encampment, but dismissed it as ordinary disputes among their own. Even as the infighting worsened around them, they believed that by staying true to themselves, they could remain untouched by the chaos. Only when they were forcibly strapped to the Transcension table did they finally understand. In a world already falling apart, no one can remain untouched.

Powerfully built brutes, their limbs flooded with potent Sha-Chi. They charge at the front, swinging twin axes with abandon. When hunger takes them in battle, they draw in the blood and vitality around them. Even their companions are not spared. Once, they were their village's pillars of strength. The elders saved the little grain and meat for them. When Maskwalkers came, they stood foremost with their axes. When Transcension was offered, they went first. In time, the villagers' flesh became the food they could no longer live without.

A woman of a cold face. A Fiend Saw long-blade under each foot; she drives the twin blades with supple legs, her movement like lightning, her cuts unmatched. Together with Iron Fiend she trains the Young Mistress Mu Xiaokui and serves as guard; they work as one. Jade Dancer was an orphan, saved by the Shadow Sovereign in a moment of peril. Later young Mu Xiaokui called her "Sister," saying she would be her family—and something tender took root in this woman who had always kept her heart cold. The duty of a bodyguard soon became a care and loyalty that came from the bone. On the training ground she is iron with the Young Mistress; off it, she patiently teaches her to press the right points, easing the ache in her ankles. Every gift from the Young Mistress she keeps in silence. The days she has spent at the Young Mistress's side may even outlast those of the Shadow Sovereign himself. After old Sovereign Mu passed, undercurrents rose in the Order, and the Wulin too was full of sudden turns. No one knows better than Jade Dancer how heavy a load sits on the Young Mistress's shoulders. And more than the Order's fortunes, she fears for the Young Mistress's life.

From Green Serpent House, cross the stone bridge and the firecracker street. Keep right to reach the two puppets, then descend below the ancestral hall square.

Cross the red threads in WEEPING CREEK VALLEY. Wait until the enemies start fighting each other before approaching Jagged Steel, the Frenzied Brute.

With FLAMING MANE, return to Pavilion of Knowledge Crossroads. Burn the thorns on the ascending stairs, cross the boards into the house, descend through Mandate Lodgings and climb the stairs again.

Mounted Shadow Wardens of the Order charge head-on along the main road, double-ended blades in hand, their cold edges radiating murderous intent. They specialize in frontal assaults, using the momentum of their galloping horses to close the distance in an instant, leaving their opponents little chance to evade. Shadow Wardens have no names, only codenames. The Mindseals within their bodies compel them to serve the Shadow Sovereign without question. This time, they have been sent by the new Shadow Sovereign to intercept and kill Soul, and they will not stop until one side is dead.

Baishan Guardians who have undergone Perfect Transcension. With a flick of the wrists, their twin daggers whirl like scattering blossoms, while short blades flash out like meteors between exchanges. Their once graceful, agile movements remain, now sharpened by a colder and more resolute edge. They lived through the turmoil of the Baishan Sect, witnessed the tragedy caused by Dugu Linghe, and saw Bi Taotao take command in a time of crisis. With the road to restoring the sect long and difficult, they vowed to stand with their Sect Master and aid the Three Pillars of Kunlun against the Maskwalkers... But where have the Three Pillars gone? And did they ever truly stand with them in return?

This is in fact the puppet vessel Meng Hua, formerly of the “Eleven,” uses to walk the Waking Realm. To create a vessel capable of fully bearing her consciousness and power, the Herald spent more than three hundred days and slaughtered countless villagers and Wulin masters. Its hair is made of red thread and adorned with ornate gold, every detail crafted to please the Lady of the Veil. It remains unclear whether “Veiled blossom” is simply another name for Meng Hua, a deliberate attempt to conceal her identity, or a name chosen to keep the Lady’s true identity unspoken. What is known is that worship of the “Merciful Lady of the Blossom Veil, who saves those in suffering” began only two or three years ago. The Wulin has been in turmoil for years. Maskwalkers run rampant, while the Mandate is corrupt and weak, leaving ordinary people with no one to rely on. Their own struggles seem all the more powerless. And the more desperate the world becomes, the more precious Meng Hua’s charity appears. The Lady of the Veil who appears in dreams is kind, compassionate, and beautiful. She offers comfort and guidance, and surely possesses boundless power to lead them out of this hopeless age. Those at the end of their road know how to cling to “grace” and “miracles.” For those who have yet to submit, one need only add fuel to the fire of their despair. Suffering itself will teach them to kneel. But faith was never the Lady of the Veil’s goal. In her battle against Inanis long ago, her consciousness dissipated in the depths of the Discordance, only to be remade through the formless, shapeless Blight, whose sole instinct is to devour all things. She once sought to contend with the Blight. Yet two equally voracious beings cannot devour themselves, so how could either devour the other? Instead, they fused, perfectly compatible and mutually beneficial. She longs to return to the Waking Realm and manipulate the countless lives within it, while the Blight’s instinct is to devour everything and turn all things into itself. As for what awaits after her return, whether she slowly consumes the world and toys with its people, or unleashes a grand catastrophe that annihilates all things... she now lives as one with the Blight. What happens next is entirely up to her.

Skilled bandits carrying long handled sabers, shields, and longbows. They are masters of none, but sheer recklessness is enough to make them try their hand at all three. Their rough and unorthodox fighting style can be surprisingly vicious, and given the chance, they will draw their bows and loose an arrow. Do not let their taunts provoke you into rushing in. When they strike their shields with their sabers, it is both a challenge and a signal for their companions to swarm you. After all, what kind of "master" would they be without a crowd of followers to make a show of it?

White-clad swordsmen once known for their graceful, flowing swordplay. Transcension made them faster and stronger, but also more savage and deranged. To conceal the signs of Transcension, they often wrap cloth around their necks and torsos. Yet as their faces gradually hollow out, the truth becomes impossible to hide: they are no longer human.

Lean and agile thieves who once excelled at scaling walls and racing across rooftops, they now use those same skills for ambush and concealment. The throwing knives they once honed to aid their burglaries have become deadly weapons aimed at the throat. They once underwent Transcension in hopes of robbing more wealthy households and helping more poor families. The comical smiling masks strapped to their faces serve both to suppress Sha-Chi and make them appear "harmless." But in the end, they descended into madness. As the smiling masks grew stained and blackened, they only made their wearers all the more unsettling.

Blue-robed lancers whose faces have become hollow voids. They charge on horseback with spears leveled, lending the full force of their gallop to each deadly thrust. Should an attack check their advance, they wheel their mounts and strike back, making them difficult to approach. Many earned their blue robes through connections rather than ability. But with those robes came shame and frustration... Some turned to Perfect Transcension in the hope of proving themselves worthy.

Thread-Binding killers wearing a Big-Head Doll Headpiece. The smile on the headpiece looks all the more sinister and terrifying against the backdrop of the great blade they wield. They are superstitious about the techniques of the Central Plains, believing that these headpieces can prolong life, ward off evil, and suppress the backlash of Transcension. They also firmly believe that performing arts and acrobatics can channel divine power into the body, so they incorporated their movements into their martial arts, developing a wild, chaotic style of swordsmanship with blades flashing like claws and fangs. Whether these unorthodox practices truly possess such supernatural power is unknown. All that is certain is that their bodies have gradually shriveled, until now they are scarcely larger than children.

Huangxing’s elite guards, armed with short blades and known for their swift, unpredictable footwork. In battle, they hurl throwing knives on the move and can use arcane arts to vanish from sight, only to reappear without warning. Perfect Transcension gave them the strength they needed. No longer would they be held back by useless leaders, flatter the vain and corrupt, or prove their worth to hypocrites who abused their power. So they donned gleaming golden masks and resolved to tear the corruption out of the righteous path once and for all.

An Envoy of the Order, Lei Dang is broad shouldered and formidable, with an upright, steady nature and unwavering loyalty. He once lost his right arm on a mission and was saved by Soul. He later fitted a Tiger Cannon to his severed arm. When charged, it roars like a tiger and unleashes devastating firepower. Now, under orders from the new Shadow Sovereign, Zuo Shang, he has come to Pangzhen to stop the Herald's long brewing scheme, a plot that could shake the entire Phantom World. When the former Shadow Sovereign, Mu, was suddenly murdered, and the killer turned out to be Soul, an old comrade who had fought beside him through life and death, Lei Dang could hardly believe it. Yet by both duty and reason, he should have taken Soul into custody the moment they met. But with the situation at hand, and their deep bond in mind, he ultimately held back and instead showed Soul a path to Mirage Estate. Yet for all Lei Dang's steadiness, every move he made had already been accounted for in Zuo Shang's calculations.

Blackwater Crew disciples who live for fishing. In battle, they use their fishing rods to hook debris from the water and hurl it at their enemies. They originally joined the Blackwater Crew simply for access to its excellent fishing grounds. Later, however, they were inspired to use their Transcended bodies to aid the righteous path. Had things turned out differently, they might still be aboard their battered little boat, spending their days fishing and catching shrimp, with a few drinks whenever they had the chance.

These brutes carry crude, barbed spears and prowl around campfires. If a direct assault fails, they set their spearheads alight and attack with burning blades. They pose a greater threat than the other blue-clad brutes. To grow stronger, to better protect themselves, they surrendered more to Transcension than the rest.

Deep in the Phantom Illusionist Ruins, a white-clad bladesman stands amid wind and snow, a divine weapon in hand. Clad in light northern armor and robes whiter than snow, half his face is already ruined, cast into shadow by the High Elder’s sinister plot. He cuts, splitting stone and cleaving clouds. Swift as a wraith, his every strike carries formidable force; his long blade tears through the air, leaving frost in its wake. After years in the northern Wulin, he had rarely met an equal. Proud by nature, he lived by his own code of vengeance, wielding Whiteshadow to cut down countless evil and heterodox foes. In search of his missing son, he traveled south alone. After three years, he reached the Frozen Lands, only to discover that his son had already died there. Grief and fury consumed him. He swore to destroy every enemy, unaware that his frenzied slaughter had already led him into the High Elder’s trap. Bound by several arts, he was reduced to a puppet guarding Puppet No. 99. The endless wind and snow wear down what remains of his body, while his son’s death tortures his heart without end. Fortunately, he has found someone he can entrust this to, someone who can slay the monsters in his stead and avenge his son’s death.

Go from Backstreet Rest through the second floor of the narrow house, descend to the courtyard and take the zipline to Pond of Fading Song. Of the 3 ziplines in the backstreets, use the one shown on the map. From the ground by its lower end, follow the teal line about 140 m to the pond bell.

Thieves wreathed in poisonous mist, their throwing knives coated in the same toxin. They use water to conceal themselves, waiting for the chance to strike from hiding. Years ago, after a theft went wrong, they fled in panic and fell into stagnant, polluted water. A strange sickness took hold, leaving their bodies rotting and poisonous. Transcension could not stop the decay spreading through their organs, but at least they no longer feel the pain. Now, beneath their ridiculous smiling masks, little remains but rotting, maddened bodies.

The leader of the Maskwalkers lurking before the shallow-water docks. Clad in red and wielding a crimson blade, he moves with eerie unpredictability. His wails summon a blood mist, despair given form. The six beside him go mad at the sound, their Sha-Chi surging as they throw themselves into the fray one after another. All seven came from Pangzhen and studied under the same master. Jin was the youngest. After learning that his birth mother had died unjustly, he cut off a finger to protect his sister, earning the affection of his elder brothers. Later, they learned that their father and aunt despised their sister Xiu. Fearing Jin, they instead took out their anger on Xiu’s maid, with their cruelty growing worse by the day. Frail Xiu soon fell gravely ill, and the brothers were outraged. They found Soul Displacement Water to ease Xiu’s suffering and swore that, should they ever rise in the world, they would protect the siblings and seek justice for them. If any brother fell, the others would care for his family. But none possessed exceptional talent, so they trained day and night and eventually underwent Transcension together. Before they could make their mark, a strange illness swept through the town. They tried to return home, but bodies altered by Transcension could not withstand the Sha-Chi blanketing Meigu Lake. The faces of their loved ones slowly blurred beneath bloodlust and madness... They were only a few li from home, yet they would never return.

Brutes who use broken stones as weapons. Knowing they cannot overpower an enemy head-on, they hide behind others and seize their chances. Their aim is poor, but an attack from behind can still prove troublesome. With the cunning and tenacity of weeds, they survived famine and beatings. Their childhood games of throwing stones in village lanes are long gone. Perhaps their last innocence was the hope that Transcension might let them make something of themselves.

Thread-Binding killers wearing a Big-Head Doll Headpiece. The steel windmill in their hands spins of its own accord. They often hold it upside down in front of themselves, sweeping and slicing with its momentum. Their movements resemble those of a child, hopping and darting about, occasionally letting out an indistinct hum. These killers firmly believe that children will not be punished even when they harbor evil thoughts. So they have worn the headpieces for years, imitating the words and actions of children and allowing both their bodies and minds to regress. Far from being ashamed, they take pride in it, convinced that they are one step closer to regaining their youth.

An elite swordsman under Huangxing. His broad, low-hanging straw hat conceals the false face beneath it. He wields the Juggernaut, a rough and mottled blade whose every sweeping slash strikes with the force of a falling mountain. He once carried his blade across the wastelands, fighting Maskwalkers in bloody battles time and again. But while his blade could cut down every Maskwalker, it could not cut away the corruption and decay of the Mandate’s upper ranks. They withheld supplies, watched their disciples perish, and indulged themselves while corpses piled up on the front lines. The Mandate’s survival, ideals, and glory were nothing more than pawns in their schemes. With each disappointment, his zeal to defend the Mandate slowly faded. Until Master Huangxing, one of the Three Pillars of Kunlun, used an iron hand and sword to tear open the stench of corruption within the Encampment, leading his followers to cut away its deep-rooted ills. The fire in his heart, long dormant, burned anew. The Mandate could still be rebuilt, and that hope was not far away. It lay in the hands of the man he had chosen to follow: Master Huangxing.

Butchers who underwent Transcension. The copper masks that suppress their Sha-Chi hang crookedly on their faces, leaving them free to eat whenever they please. Their iron hooks drag distant enemies within reach of their cleavers, while the filth they vomit forms a poisonous miasma around them. When they begin gorging on chunks of meat, they are restoring their strength for another murderous assault. When food runs out, human flesh makes the finest fare. Now even that is scarce. Only starving frenzied hounds remain beside their butcher's blocks, waiting for a share of the scraps and bones.

Transcended spearmen whose faces have become empty hollows. Every sweep, deflection, thrust, and rising strike is swift and precise. How difficult it is to remain righteous. Defeat, injury, fear, exhaustion... So many hardships drove them toward a swift solution, believing it could turn their fortunes around.

Delicate, finely crafted Songstress Puppets. A horrific cavity gapes from cheek to neck, torn open by their desperate cries for help as their consciousness was sealed inside. Their once beautiful voices have become hoarse screams. Again and again, they reach for their throats, only to find the gaping hollow. Driven by confusion and pain, they claw at the living, trying to tear open their throats and reclaim their lost voices from the warm flesh within.

An archer hidden on the island east of Meigu Lake. Wounded though he is, he remains a master of both bow and sword: his robes billow when he moves, yet his bearing remains steady when he stands still. But his body has been invaded by a strange power, and several scarlet Crimson Eyes have sprouted between him and his bow. He need only will it, and blood-red beams of death pierce the air without a drawn string. This master of the Featherbow Sect once traveled the land with great ambition, hunting down Maskwalkers. But when he returned to the Encampment, he found his fellow disciples disfigured and changed in nature by Perfect Transcension, and they sought to force him to undergo it as well. He fought his way out and set out to find Huangxing, seeking an explanation and determined to stop him at the cost of his life. A Wulin consumed by such bloodlust was never the future he had promised his daughter. He escaped Perfect Transcension, but not the strange thing lurking deep within the Discordance. The Crimson Eyes that had long lain hidden on his bow had been watching the power in his blood, and when he was still recovering from his wounds, they burrowed into his flesh and bone. He clings to his final breath, waiting for someone worthy of his trust, and for someone to put an end to him.

In his youth, Zuo Shang was Soul's closest friend and fellow adopted son of Sovereign Mu. Exceptionally gifted and gentle in temperament, he possessed a composure far beyond his years, along with a depth of thought rare among his peers. Compared to Soul's impulsiveness and unrestrained nature, Zuo Shang was already remarkably steady and measured. In his spare time, Zuo Shang enjoyed reading intelligence reports, forming his own insights into the affairs of the Wulin. His martial prowess was on par with Soul's. His movements were light and agile, his techniques graceful and refined. Even when sparring with a wooden sword, he moved with the elegance of one who rode the wind and followed the clouds. From the days they spent together among the streets to the years they trained side by side within the Order, Zuo Shang and Soul had witnessed each other at their lowest and seen each other grow. Their bond only deepened with the passage of time... Who could have imagined that one day, they would turn their blades against each other?

Defeat Master Bi Yuan of the Tianxuan Sect and Master Bi Hai of Kuye Temple. In the house beside the mechanical monster's wreckage, attack the remains fighting the monster. Then descend from Well of the Three Puppets.

The entanglements of the Wulin should be settled in the way of the Wulin. If you do not give it your all, how can you know what truly lies in your opponent’s heart? Chang Hong calls forth his beloved horse. With a flick of his spear, wind and clouds stir, and lightning answers. Rider and mount move as one. Hooves thunder forward as his spear cleaves downward, driving lightning into the earth. Bolts coil across the ground like silver serpents, leaving the enemy little room to evade. As they trade blows, lightning and blade shadows collide again and again, until Soul’s dagger comes to rest at Chang Hong’s neck. Though defeated, Chang Hong feels a weight lift from his heart. This is still the Soul he knows, his spirit undiminished. Through this fight, Soul has proven his resolve to shoulder everything alone. There is nothing more to say. Chang Hong bids his old friend farewell, slings his spear across his back, and mounts his horse. With a neigh and the rumble of thunder, he rides away, the heaviness in his heart gone.

He took the name “Leng Tu,” dressed as “Leng Tu,” and in the end became “Leng Tu” in every way, even more cruel and deranged than the original. At first, he only had to imitate Leng Tu’s words and manner. But every lie demanded another to cover it, and when the disguise could no longer hold, he had no choice but to silence everyone who knew the real Leng Tu. Lies and blood piled up. Cruelty became a habit, and the mask became his true face. He used that cruelty to please the Lady of the Veil. The Lady he worships is cold-hearted and takes pleasure in watching the suffering of others. She has no use for anything that serves no purpose. If he cannot satisfy her, he has no value and could be cast aside at any moment. He will never allow himself to become useless. The Viper of Seven Venoms once tasted that suffering all too well. In that lightless prison of illusion, all his talent, kindness, and loyalty were crushed into nothing. He could only cling to life through endless torment, entirely at the mercy of others. He has become “Leng Tu” through and through. He spreads the Lady of the Veil’s false teachings and conducts Puppet experiments on countless Wulin practitioners and ordinary people. He savors their desperate struggles inside the Puppets, wanting them to suffer as the Viper of Seven Venoms once did. He even switched Still Poison and Silence Poison, using them to poison Lei Dang of the Order and reenact, in the name of “Leng Tu,” the very scheme that once destroyed the Viper of Seven Venoms. For all his sins, so long as they serve the Lady of the Veil, he gives her everything he has. Perhaps the Viper of Seven Venoms was destined to suffer that terrible fate. If not, who else could this believer crawling at the Lady of the Veil’s feet have become?

Brutes reeking of decay, their flesh a sickly blue-black save for a deep crimson patch over the heart. They hack wildly with twin axes, and in their frenzy will even slash open their own wrists, spraying their poisonous blood. Most are the ruined remains of failed Transcensions, discarded into the ravine and left to rot. Then the villagers obtained these lifesaving red threads and bound them around their bodies and masks. Somehow, these rotting corpses truly began to move again.

Madwomen carrying bottles of lamp oil. Their Transcended hands no longer fear the flames, allowing them to splash fire freely and use it to burn the living. They need no longer ration every drop of lamp oil. The failed products of Transcension provide more fire oil than they could ever use, enough to turn the night into a sea of fire.

A living puppet imprisoned beneath Crimson Manor. Knotted flesh and protruding blades twist together across its body. A greatsword runs through its spine, while a massive alloy scythe replaces its left arm. Strangely out of place amid the gore is a delicate crystal eye, one of two needed to activate Puppet No. 99. At the sight of anything living, the Scavenger swings its scythe in savage chops and rolls its massive body forward to crush its prey. Its movements are clumsy and slow, without any real form, yet Sha-Chi pours from it. An experimental creation of the Herald, it was pieced together from the remains of a burly strongman using Puppetry and Thread-Binding techniques. But the experiment spiraled out of control. Its body swelled and warped, while no number of masks could contain the Sha-Chi surging within. Even a greatsword through its body failed to kill it. The Herald eventually imprisoned it beneath Crimson Manor, using it to dispose of discarded puppets and troublesome members of the righteous path. Perhaps because Wulin folk still carry the vitality of the living, the Scavenger has developed a particular hunger for them.

Elites of the Order, clad in red and wielding double-headed blades treated with special phosphor powder. Their strikes tear flesh and ignite eerie green phosphor flames along the wounds. They often fight alongside Blunderbuss Shadow Wardens, combining long-range fire with close-range assaults to overwhelm their prey. Those caught between them are given little chance to breathe before facing the Order’s punishment in phosphor flame.

Defective Yang Puppets that move on their arms, skittering unnaturally along the ground before springing at their enemies. Perhaps the minds imprisoned within them once belonged to martial artists, giving rise to such ferocity. But nothing of their past can be recovered. Now they are no different from frenzied hounds.

The Sky-Thunder Sect's gunpowder was already devastating, yet some disciples still found it lacking and mixed poison into it to make it even deadlier. Over time, the poison took its toll. Those most severely afflicted developed green skin and festering sores across their bodies. Desperate for a cure, they combined Transcension with poison, using the "bombs" on their backs to store both toxic gas and Sha-Chi. In the end, they only turned themselves into yet another of the Sky-Thunder Sect's "new weapons."

Only after the Saw is knocked off does the truth become clear: The Crusher has no head. The sinews and blood vessels in his neck coil like the rings of an old tree, while the flesh writhes as if searching for the head he lost long ago. Without the Saw controlling him, the Crusher only grows more savage. Sha-Chi boils through his body, his skin burns red, and black smoke rises from his flesh. Freed from the Saw, he seems to have broken free of a shackle. He unleashes years of pain and rage, never noticing that the hood hiding his severed neck has fallen away. He has even forgotten that he is headless. Perhaps as long as he does not realize it, he will never fall. When Soul finally defeats him, his body crashes onto the ice and his empty neck stares back from the reflection below. A piercing cold suddenly fills him. He has not felt cold in years, having spent all this time in a haze. So even without a head, one can still live? The thought comes to him only at the very end. Death follows before he can wonder any further.

Madwomen wrapped in filthy white garments, with strands of red thread wound through their darkened flesh and extending up to their masks. They swing long halberds with stiff, vicious movements. A single sweeping strike knocks back anyone who comes too close. After Transcension, their bodies decay and fester day by day... The lives they tried so desperately to hold on to, a roof against the rain, a meal on the stove, a child’s name... fade away with the rot, never to be recovered.

Hounds driven feral after feeding on the rotting corpses of the Transcended. Their fur has fallen out in patches, exposing ragged, crimson flesh. They often roam in packs, moving with frightening speed and lunging suddenly from the shadows amid savage barking. Once, they tore into Maskwalkers for their masters. Later, they learned to tear into their masters instead.

Dodge the close-range grab. When the enemy reaches or lunges, move out of its path. Perfect-block the blue-flash strike just before impact. The enemy can sidestep. Turn to face it again before following up.

He still dances amid the flames, as he did in years past to the cheers of the crowd, driving out evil and bringing blessings to the people. At the height of the battle, he stands atop the Plum Blossom Stakes and lets out a long cry, calling his disciples to dance with him. All the lion dancers here have fallen victim to Perfect Transcension, their minds lost. They turn the art of lion dancing into deadly techniques and charge at Soul, only to have Soul defeat them one by one and claim the lion head. Behind the mask, he watches as Soul leaps onto the high stakes and battles in the form of a lion dancer, and sees in him the hope of the art's continuation. The one to pluck the green he had awaited has finally arrived, to perform the final dance alongside him. When the dance reaches its end, Soul dons Flame's lion head. As the lion's bright eyes meet Flame's, his own will breaks free of the mask's control in an instant. Flame knows that his life is nearly spent, and before him stands a new lion dancer. The spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth gathers in those eyes. The Grandmaster can finally depart in peace. The art of lion dancing, and the will to drive out evil, are entrusted to Soul along with the lion head.

Red blossoms at the horizon, like the Lady's downcast eyes. Beneath that gorgeous glow, the red and green silks about Bai Chilian gather and bind, becoming four great pythons. They rear like scorpions and spin like saws. At times they strike and withdraw, waiting for an opening; at times they burst from the earth into a formation that shields her. Only by breaking the serpent array can she be brought down. Her life was once worth less than grass. At the brink of death, in a hazy dream, she beheld the Lady. The Lady gave her a thread of red silk, like a snake, like a bond. It sustained her life and restored her from death. So she wound snakes about her enemies' throats, tightening inch by inch, letting them die slowly in fear and pain. So simple. So satisfying. And still not enough! Only the Lady can truly cleanse the filth of the Wulin... But how could she be so useless? Trapped in a place like this... she deserves this torment... Offer the snakes. Offer her body. Offer everything... What else has she left to give the Lady? What can she offer to attain true salvation?

Blue-robed spearmen whose faces have become hollow voids, once commanders of white-robed disciples. Their spearcraft was exquisite, every movement purposeful. A single straight thrust at the throat could give their disciples a fortnight's study. As the toll of Perfect Transcension grew ever more severe, they knew their days were numbered. They resolved to make for Pangzhen and use their altered strength to slay as many Maskwalkers as they could. They had also resolved to end their own lives before becoming mindless husks. Yet when they turned their spears and felt the cold points against their throats, some hesitated for just a moment...

Years ago, she and Soul made a promise: if they ever crossed blades, neither would hold back. In this fight, she moves like lightning, advancing and retreating without leaving an opening. Power gathers in both arms, every strike solid and controlled. The techniques taught by Jade Dancer and Iron Fiend come together in her, making her nearly unstoppable. She carefully sorts through her grief over her father's death, the mystery of Soul's sudden departure, the changes brewing within the Order, and the concern of those around her. She forces herself to stay calm and make the right judgment. Once the Order's affairs are settled, she resolves to meet Soul face to face and demand an answer. She will fight him with everything she has, so he understands just how angry and unsettled she is by his secrecy, his leaving without a word, and his self righteous insistence on carrying everything alone. When blades clash and sparks fly, everything seems to freeze for an instant. In that moment, she finds her answer. The person before her is still the Soul she once knew. Like her, he has not changed. Even if he refuses to explain, she will find the truth and the answers herself.

Yin Puppets armed with brass swords and round brass shields, keenly attuned to their enemies' weaknesses. They deftly turn attacks aside with their shields and counter at once, employing intricate and varied techniques. When the villagers first saw these puppets fighting Maskwalkers with brass swords that resembled ritual implements, they hailed them as a miracle: the Lady's protection made manifest. They never knew that each puppet held the mind of a Mandate fighter who had spent years battling Maskwalkers... The miracle they so gratefully worshipped was only a spectacle staged by the puppet makers.

Bomb Carriers covered in frost, with sharp icicles coating both their heads and the massive ice bombs strapped to their backs. Sha-Chi drives them to charge blindly at anything living, detonating in a burst of killing cold that destroys both themselves and their target. If struck by fire, the Sha-Chi within them instantly spirals out of control, causing them to explode. They once tried to use extreme cold to suppress the burning agony of Transcension. In the end, the cold seeped into their bones and Sha-Chi consumed their minds, sealing both flesh and sanity within these freezing shells.

Descend from Smuggler's Treasure Cellar to the courtyard. Cross the stone arch, reach Smuggler's Tunnel Entrance and enter the clearing to trigger the encounter.

A Thread-Binding killer who guards the mourning hall at the Mirage Estate. He wears a straw rain cape, with several crimson masks stacked atop his head. His powerful frame is corpse-pale, and in his hands is a twin-bladed weapon known as the Crimson Boneblade, a vicious relic he treasures like his own marrow. Qiu Feng is brutish and bloodthirsty by nature. Believing that performing arts can ward off evil, he crudely imitates them: adopting the footwork of martial opera performers and the fang-baring movements of fang-spitting performances, even adorning his own masks with fangs. He firmly believes these additions make his techniques more powerful. When he first entered the estate, he slaughtered all the Nuo performers and took their Red Judge masks as treasures. Unable to wear them all on his face, he stacked them atop his head. He also imitated the sword-swallowing and fire-walking tricks, driving a long blade straight into his skull to show off his supposed invulnerability. When the battle turns against him, he pulls the blade from his skull, lets the masks cover it, and swings it with the fury of a sudden storm. Such a madman follows the Herald not out of loyalty, but because he craves the blood of powerful opponents to stain his masks and straw cape completely red. When he learned that the undefeated “Master Soul” had entered the estate, he eagerly waited in his path. Alas, this time, it was his own blood that stained the masks and straw cape red.

The Order's killers are highly trained and ruthlessly efficient. Wielding broad, double-ended blades, they unleash relentless attacks to overwhelm their foes at close range. Shadow Wardens have no facial features, only black, hollow voids. Yet they wear no masks, nor do they share the Maskwalkers' bloodthirsty madness. They are little more than violet shadows, lurking in the darkness and coming and going without a trace. Lately, however, these shadows seem to be appearing more and more often throughout the Wulin.

Climb the stairs from South Gate Bridge in PANGZHEN. Equip Flameward before challenging the captain.

Kuye Temple monks subjected to Transcension, now reduced to guards of the Sha-Chi Tower. Their weapon is a nine-ring blade, seemingly fused with their steel bodies. Their senior brothers entered the Sha-Chi Tower to investigate but never returned, leaving them deeply concerned. The tower was once a place of Transcension, and many strange devices remain within. If someone with ill intent were to make use of them, the consequences could be dire... Uneasy, they entered the tower to search for their brothers.

The golden mask concealed the phosphor fire gnawing at the Mindseal, and even seemed to make it burn hotter. In the end, only the faintest remnant of the Mindseal remained. Inside, it had long since been burned hollow. Then the one behind it all quietly set the strings in motion. Before Blaze could even notice, the candle-threads sustaining his sense of self snapped one by one. The Mindseal was reduced to ash. Towering flames suddenly surged upward, bursting through his skull and leaving him as a dim green fire clinging to his body. The searing pain spread through every limb like a plague, turning his consciousness into fuel for the phosphor fire. At the height of the burning, a strange, bone-deep cold took hold. Yet the remnant body endured, spraying phosphor fire at will, as if the release of some unbearable itch had given rise to a trace of pleasure. "You see? Did that wandering healer lie to you?" The voice echoed through what remained of his mind... Yes. The mask truly could help one control Sha-Chi... Only the one who benefited was never him, but the one pulling the strings.

Go to Pangzhen Bridge Overlook and challenge Hua Qianxiao on the bridge.

Elite operatives serving "The Order." Clad in copper helmets and armor, they wield tiger-headed blunderbusses. Three barrels protrude from the tiger's mouth, allowing them to unleash a rapid barrage of shots while moving and evading with ease. Their firepower is formidable. When engaged at close range, they can also swing their firearms like heavy hammers, striking with tremendous force and speed. They often appear alongside the Wildfire Shadow Wardens, using gunfire to cover their blade attacks and making it difficult for their prey to escape.

Brutes clutching broad shields. With strength far beyond what their frames suggest, they slam those shields into enemies and charge recklessly forward. Powerful weapons such as great axes can quickly break their shields. Transcension took their faces and their sanity. Only two commands remain etched into their minds: stop everything before them, and protect the village behind. But there is no village left behind them now.

Head past the outpost and equip JAGGED STEEL for the fight against Peng Meng.

A "Vessel-class" Crescent Blade Puppet guarding the training ground at Mirage Estate. Tall and imposing in ornate armor, with white hair streaming behind her, she wields an extremely heavy, long-handled blade carved with Loong motifs. Her techniques combine cleaving, sweeping, blocking, lifting, twisting, and thrusting. Once she catches an opening, she locks the blade around her opponent’s neck and circles them. Blue light whirls along the blade, gathering into a powerful gust as the shaft swings behind her before crashing down. Before the Herald turned her into a puppet, she possessed exceptional martial talent and was fascinated by the heroic generals of the stage. Her master placed the blade in her hands: the back of the blade was Heaven, the edge Earth, the tip the sovereign, and the shaft the master. From then on, the weapon became her whole life. Her skill continued to grow until, eventually, no one could give her a worthy fight. When the Herald turned her into a puppet, she felt little pain, and afterward, little seemed to have changed. It was as though those falling beneath her blade had simply changed from people to puppets. She still cannot understand the anger of those on the righteous path. Why do they condemn her for cruel slaughter, when few condemn the Maskwalkers for doing the same? Nor does she care to understand their anger. Only those capable of defeating her are worth understanding.

From Green Serpent House, enter the house behind you on the left. Clear it, exit through the double doors, turn left and follow the street to the end.

In those days, the three sisters each excelled in a different art. They devoted themselves to honing their skills, each mastering her chosen art. She chose that dark-iron steel blade, a symbol of her resolve. She practiced drawing and striking day and night, until her mastery reached the point where she could split mountains and cleave stone. Yet no mastery of the blade could save her two younger sisters: the second was trapped in the frozen realm, while the third was corrupted by ghost-fire, leaving both forever changed. When the three awoke in one body, she realized that she had fallen into the Herald’s scheme. She was the one who coaxed the second sister into drinking the medicine, and the one who poured it past the third sister’s lips. What began as a desperate attempt to save them had instead poisoned them all, dragging the sisters into the abyss. Now imprisoned in a single body and tortured day and night, she was consumed by regret. The Herald once promised that if they killed Soul, they could be divided among three vessels, each with a place of their own. Now, with Sha-Chi surging through her, she seeks only to atone for the sin of that day and escape the torment of sharing one body. Gripping the steel blade that can split mountains and cleave stone, she strikes with resolve, determined to fight to her final breath.

Follow the PANGZHEN story to the lion dancer. Watch for the head blade, stomp and fire breath.

An elite Shadow Warden guarding the White Serpent House. Those caught by his whirling axes die in agonizing pain, earning him his name. Clad in green, his robes spread like a moth’s wings as he moves. The Sundering Dual Axes in his hands flash as they spin, his attacks relentless. Yet after countless battles, his robes remain spotless. He is always composed. Against the strong, he calmly studies and dismantles their techniques; against the weak, his composure is not mercy but indifference. This is his way of surviving. Others’ lives mean nothing to him. He weighs only how the situation affects his own advance or retreat. Before Zuo Shang became the Shadow Sovereign, Heartpiercer was an unremarkable Shadow Warden. After Zuo Shang took power, he entrusted Heartpiercer with guarding the White Serpent House. Was it his composure that earned Zuo Shang’s trust, or a "special arrangement"? And is Heartpiercer’s fate already part of Zuo Shang’s design?

One of the four Acolytes serving under the High Elder. Through a scarecrow, she conceals herself within the Discordance. Clad in dark green robes and wielding a fly whisk, she turns lightning into a weapon of slaughter. With a flick of the whisk, pillars of lightning strike from above. She can move with the lightning and, with herself at the center, spread a circular lightning array that blasts everything around her. She was originally ordered by the High Elder to infiltrate Pangzhen and monitor the Herald, but the Thread-Binding sect was too heavily guarded for her to find an opening. Later, at the High Elder's command, she turned her attention to the Human-Faced Banyan, where strange phenomena had repeatedly appeared. The tree is brimming with Sha-Chi. If she can find a way to seize that power, it may help open the Rift and hasten the Lady's descent... Mortal laws are far too lenient. But when the Merciful Lady descends, divine thunder from the Nine Heavens will pass judgment on all. False principles will crumble, sin will be punished, and absolute justice will reshape the world... Lei Ting believes this without question.

Collect all 6 firefly memories. Examine the mist in the main building at Temple of Blue Fireflies. At Broken Puppet Pit Entrance, jump down beside the fishing puppet.

Puppets covered head to toe in gold, with enormous hand spikes replacing both forearms from the elbows down. The consciousness sealed within them once belonged to Mandate disciples who knelt before the Lady’s statue. Thread-Binding allowed them to glimpse something far greater within the Discordance. Terror and awe overwhelmed them at first. Afterward, devotion became all their shattered minds had left. To serve that twisted faith, they tore away their frail puppet arms and replaced them with deadly spikes, killing anyone who might hinder the Lady’s descent. They even poured molten gold over their bodies, reshaping themselves into a form they hoped would please her, all for the slightest hint of her favor.

Madwomen wielding twin picks, swift in the charge and vicious in their relentless attacks. Maskwalkers destroyed their village. With their loved ones slaughtered, they had nothing left to lose. When a neighboring village called for volunteers to undergo Transcension and fight the monsters together, they went as a group, carrying their well-digging picks and wearing makeshift iron armor.

A mysterious woman in red who once appeared atop the Dovecote tower. Her swordplay is light and graceful, yet Sha-Chi has already burned her face into a twisted hollow. A thread of reason remains. She stays atop the tower as if waiting for someone important. Thus, when she fought Soul, she had no intention of giving it her all. Driven by Sha-Chi, she could barely control herself. She came from an evil sect, yet fell in love with the Chief Disciple of a Mandate sect. The Mandate's upper ranks could never tolerate the sect she came from, and their love became an excuse to persecute her. They subjected her to humiliation after humiliation, then hypocritically spared her life. How absurd. Those same leaders had no desire to stand against inhuman creatures, yet were willing to go to great lengths to deal with a small sect living in seclusion. They proclaimed themselves the righteous path, yet possessed not a fraction of the courage and integrity of the disciples beneath them. To survive, and to seek revenge, she underwent Transcension. But as she stands atop the tower, looking down upon the ruined Mandate Encampment, does she wonder if it was all for nothing? Or perhaps, when it comes to the love and hatred of her life, she has no regrets.

Handpicked Shadow Wardens directly under Zuo Shang’s command. Dressed entirely in white, from headpiece to boots, they are cold, composed, and unfazed even in battle. Deadly at close range, they excel at both offense and defense, striking swiftly and decisively with their blades while weaving in pistol fire. Whether near or far, their relentless attacks leave few openings. In the deathly streets of Pangzhen, they lead patrols like shadows, sealing off streets and occupying courtyards to bring the entire town under Shadow Sovereign Zuo’s control.

Puppet zitherists dressed in white, with white hair and zithers in their arms, cold mist curling around them. Their music carries a deadly edge. Blocking the blue sound waves they release causes the lingering notes to rebound against them. At first, Wulin folk taught them a few Phantom Arts, making snow dance from their strings to enhance their performances. Then came a few pieces of silver, enough to persuade them to compose songs and lyrics for the Lady. Last came a prescription and a bowl of medicine. “Drink this, and you will not catch the strange illness and become puppets.”

Madwomen in battered armor, wielding spears with fierce thrusts, sweeps, and strikes. Their attacks are brutal, their Sha-Chi chilling, and ordinary people cannot approach them. If the right moment is seized to take their spears, the weapons can be turned against them. They once trained in spear techniques alongside the Mandate, donning armor and taking up arms against the Maskwalkers. When the Mandate began promoting Perfect Transcension, they too accepted the transformation without hesitation.

Dodge the close-range grab. When the enemy reaches or lunges, move out of its path. This enemy can punish charging. Start a charged heavy attack during its recovery. The enemy can counter ranged attacks. If it answers your first shot, reposition and fire after its next miss. The enemy has a guard-breaking move. Leave room to dodge when it winds up for a heavy hit.

The “True Lóng” Zuo Shang commands is cast in pure gold, with a majestic Loong head and tightly packed golden scales. Through the mysteries of the Radiant Heart, it seems not only able to withstand the Blight’s erosion, but also to protect the consciousness within from its backlash. Zuo Shang intends to use this body to control the all-devouring Blight. Everything can serve as a piece: the rampaging Blight, the Herald’s masterful puppetcraft, and the Radiant Heart forged from Discordant Shards... Together, they form a flawless game. Catastrophe is coming. Someone must tame the disaster and turn it into a power the world can wield. And since he alone dares to conceive of it, dares to act on it, and has the ability to achieve it, he will not squander that gift. That is why Zuo Shang chose the Hollow Heart. His plan cannot afford to be swayed by emotion. In the struggle between the Lóng and the Blight, hesitation, pity, and personal ties would only compromise the precision of each move. That is also why he cannot understand Soul’s choice. Soul possesses the same martial talent, yet simply takes things as they come, with no desire to uncover the source of his power or master it. To preserve his human emotions and desires, he would rather choose the Tainted Heart and live for only sixty-six days... And if he truly lost the only opponent worthy of standing against him, Zuo Shang might find it somewhat empty... Or perhaps, from the moment he began laying his plans, he had already lost the possibility of having a “kindred spirit.”

The dagger used by the Four Axes when they swore brotherhood in blood. They entrusted it to the Pavilion of Knowledge as proof of their bond. The Four Axes were infamous throughout the Wulin, feared and reviled by all. Yet their reputation was built upon slander spread by the Mandate after a single act of justice years ago. Peng Meng, eldest of the four, later repeated that same mistake. His three sworn brothers were hacked to death by Mandate fighters, while he alone escaped. Whatever faith he still held in the Mandate died with them that day.

Why should those of one flesh turn against each other? One misguided thought, and madness follows.

Those who could flee had long since gone. Those who remained fell fast asleep, some on their beds, others slumped over their desks. No amount of shouting or shaking could wake them. Later, even the sleepers vanished. Beds stood empty, desks deserted, as though those houses had never sheltered anything but wind and dust.

An unbearably bitter serpent gall, slowly seeping bitter bile. Its master fears loneliness, pain, and oblivion. It must find the missing pieces quickly and return to her side.

The lion's head rises, gathering spiritual power to banish evil and bring peace to heaven and earth. Yet today, evil wears human skin. Instead of fleeing the hall, it has taken a seat at the feast.

Letters, final testaments, notes, manuscripts... anything connected to the secrets behind the "Four Axes" can be gathered in this volume. Scattered traces and hidden threads intertwine, each lending credence to the others, until together they reveal the truth and clear the wrongfully accused.

She knows the voice deep in the well is an illusion, yet still takes each fading echo for her beloved's voice. Plea after plea, sob after sob... Others may be fooled, but how can she deceive herself?

Inherit the legacy, carry on aspirations, and put all that one has learned to use in carving out a place for the sect in the Wulin. When that same purpose is passed down from one generation to the next, a sect may forge a legacy of glory lasting a hundred years... At least, that is how it was supposed to be.

A fist fragment from the Iron Fiend's gauntlets, still imbued with unwavering martial resolve. Those fists were raised only against formidable foes, to protect those worth protecting.

Fame may burn like fire, scorching every moth it draws. But who can hope to rise without staking everything?

A training lion head made only of an iron frame, weighted with the mechanisms of a firearm. It bears neither painted ornament nor bronze plating, much less a vibrant lion's mane. Only when one can bring the majesty and spirit of a blazing lion to life through this heavy, cold iron frame can the art of lion dancing truly be considered mastered.

A swollen venom sac. What churns within is not merely poison, but the torment of being unable to live, yet unable to die.

Where is Moji? Gradually, no one in the encampment asks anymore, and no one dares answer. Yet some are still waiting, waiting for him to turn the tide; others are still fleeing, fleeing toward that faint hope.

It seems only yesterday that the Pillars of Kunlun were renowned throughout the Wulin, yet now Huangxing alone remains to lead the Mandate in holding the camp. And he has taken up a blade called "Perfect Transcension," cutting open a divide that had long existed within the Mandate.

A broken tail segment, still trembling, rattling out a faint and frantic sound—as though pleading for someone's sake.

The Thinker traveled throughout the Wulin, showing no bias and overlooking nothing, not even the smallest nameless sect. And when he departed as suddenly as he came, every mystery and every sect's hidden foundation had been recorded in this volume.

A group of Wulin folks kidnapped the blacksmith’s son and daughter and forced him to forge something that could replace a “heart.” Unable to make such a thing, the blacksmith sought advice from a Daoist he knew, but even he had no answer. By dusk the next day, the Daoist returned travel-worn, with the blacksmith’s son and daughter at his side. He had rescued them. The blacksmith thanked him profusely and fled with his children that very night. As for the half-finished pieces he had been forced to make, he threw them all deep into the furnace.

Every commission taken on the road, every matter investigated in secret, and several mysteries of the martial world that no one else cared to pursue are recorded here. If a strange case ever leaves you unsure where to begin, try looking through these old records again. Somewhere between the lines, a clue or two may be waiting.

In the end, the Wulin belongs to those who come after us. But those of the older generation who carry the fate of others in their hearts cannot simply stand aside when the world is in turmoil. Some who came after us are already lost to the long night, while others have yet to find their wings. Someone must be willing to burn what remains of themselves, if only to kindle a ray of dawn that can pierce the darkness.

At the end of the road, some still hold fast to the past. Others have had their pride ground down by these troubled times, casting their weapons aside. The evil presence consuming the village grants no respite. Without a fight to the death, there seems no path but descent and ruin.

After their mother died, their father took every word of his concubine to heart. No matter how often the children spoke, he would not hear a word.

Soulforging material for ABYSSAL BELL.

A fragment born of a hopeless wait. That longing had taken root in the very marrow, spreading through the bones even after the flesh had rotted away.

That catastrophe began in the gloom deep within the Discordance, yet it never ended with the ravings of madmen or fragments of broken texts. Now it hides behind a "Rift" in the Waking Realm, looming over the "Heart of the Lake."

A sutra steeped in the fragrance of sandalwood over many years. Its pages bear Master Bi Hai's meticulous, line-by-line annotations, along with several pages of reflections penned by Daoist Bi Di. The teachings within are nothing more than this: save the suffering and guide people toward goodness. Eight simple words, easily said, yet difficult to live by.

Maskwalkers can easily destroy this land, and the Mandate can withdraw when all is lost. But how can those who have been raised by this land for generations abandon their homeland, leave behind loved ones who may never wake, or fight wooden puppets that look like those they hold most dear?

Even today, some still mix animal sinew with hemp, twist them into cords, then repeatedly wax and dry them in the shade to make bowstrings. The bowstring-making craft of the older generation of archers has not been lost.

She gathers secrets from across the Wulin and plays upon hearts consumed by anger and obsession. The proprietress of the Gilded Lotus seems to have eyes and influence everywhere. Yet few in the world know that the only thing she truly desires is her daughter's safety.

A few crumpled pages scattered through the countryside, preserving the days they endured through gritted teeth, and proof that they, too, once fought hard to make a life in this world.

Decline, injury, cowardice, exhaustion... The fall takes but an instant. Yet the path of righteousness is never easy. It takes rigorous training and endurance, even the resolve to sever old bonds and turn one's sword against former fellow disciples.

Forest reflects forest, mirror reflects mirror. On every side, she sees only her own reflection, with no path leading out of this prison where day and night blur into one.

Increases Guard Break by 10% for 30 seconds and restores 20% HP.

Increases Burn, Paralysis, Freeze, and Bleed buildup rate by 50% for 15 seconds and restores 20% HP.

Restores roughly 60% HP and Sha-Chi over 6 seconds. Taking a hit interrupts recovery.

Restores 70% HP and increases natural Sha-Chi recovery speed by 50% for 5 seconds.

Restores 50% HP and grants Intangible for 1 second. While Intangible, you cannot be hit by any attack.

Increases〔Heavy Attack〕Sha-Chi Combo damage by 20% for 15 seconds and restores 20% HP, but ignites you.

Reduces damage taken by 20% for 15 seconds and restores 40% HP over 10 seconds.

Increases damage dealt to enemies by 10% for 30 seconds and restores 20% HP.

Restores all HP.

Restores 20% HP. When no uses remain, defeating any enemy restores 1 use.

Reduces Sha-Chi consumption by 30% for 15 seconds and gradually restores 30% HP over the same duration.

Restores 40% HP.

Continuously generates Sha-Chi for 15 seconds and gradually restores 30% HP over the same duration.

Increases Phantom Edge damage by 10% for 15 seconds and restores 20% HP.

Restores 30% HP. Restores an additional 30% HP when HP is below 35%.

Removes all status effects, increases status resistance by 75% for 15 seconds, and gradually restores 20% HP over the same duration.

Restores 60% HP over 10 seconds.

The story of the teenage character. Check the first weapon slot when entering the corresponding character paragraph, starting at SANGUINE on the first week of adult soul.

Each hit builds up [Fiend-Aura Erosion] on the enemy. When the [Fiend-Aura Erosion] Gauge is full, the accumulated fiend-aura erupts, eroding the enemy's HP.

Reduces Sha-Chi consumption when blocking attacks, but disables parrying.

〔Block〕+〔Heavy Attack〕Assume a Guard Stance that blocks and counters enemy melee attacks. The stronger the incoming attack, the more powerful the counterattack. Cannot counter Black-Flash Attacks.

〔Heavy Attack〕combos leave [Red Spider Lilies] on the ground. Enemies within the flowers have reduced movement speed and continuously lose Sha-Chi. After 3 seconds, the [Red Spider Lilies] explode, causing enemies in the area to take damage over a short period.

Landing an attack inflicts Bleeding and builds the enemy's Bleed Gauge. When the gauge is full, it triggers Blood Loss. Has no effect on Puppets, Golden Bodies, or Phantom Bodies.

Press 〔Block〕+〔Heavy Attack〕to [Drink], restoring Sha-Chi and entering the Tipsy state. Attacks become [Flying Sword] attacks, with damage falling off over distance. Soul returns to the Sober state after 15 seconds. Hold 〔Block〕+〔Heavy Attack〕to increase the amount of Sha-Chi restored by [Drink].

Press 〔Block〕+〔Heavy Attack〕to consume Sha-Chi to enter the [Oriole Song] state for 10 seconds. While active, every〔Heavy Attack〕attack unleashes an air-rending blade wave as piercing as an oriole's cry.

Follow any〔Heavy Attack〕attack with〔Light Attack〕to perform a retreating slash that drains life from enemies and restores HP. If any Recoverable HP remains, the amount restored is increased. Has no effect on Puppets, Golden Bodies, or Phantom Bodies.

〔Power Surge〕Consumes 1 to unleash a dazzling dance of twin blades. This attack is unblockable.

〔Power Surge〕 Consumes 1 to unleash a series of long-blade strikes combining power and speed. This attack is unblockable.

〔Power Surge〕Consumes 1 to perform Sweeping Blade, rapidly slashes the enemy. This attack is unblockable.

Press〔Block〕+〔Heavy Attack〕to send the Crimson Viper spinning continuously around Soul. While spinning, the short blade continuously consumes Sha-Chi. The blade is automatically recalled when Sha-Chi is insufficient. Press〔Block〕+〔Heavy Attack〕again to recall it.

Switching to this weapon or parrying an enemy's Blue-flash Attack causes Soul to rush forward a short distance.