Li Liu

Overview

Li Liu (李柳) is the daughter of the martial artist Li Er and the older sister of Li Huai, originally born in the Lizhu Grotto-Heaven. Though she appears to be a gentle, docile mortal woman who passively accepts her mother's scolding, she is actually born with innate knowledge (生而知之) of her past lives. Her true identity is the reincarnation of the ancient Jianghu Co-lord (江湖共主), one of the five highest ancient gods who commanded the world's waters and the dragons.

After leaving her hometown, she became a cultivator at Shizi Peak in Beiju Luzhou, eventually reaching the Immortal Realm (仙人境) with unprecedented speed. Ultimately, to avoid repeating an apocalyptic ancient water-fire dispute, she chose to strip away her divine nature, preferring to live as a human alongside her mortal family.

Appearance and Personality

Li Liu is described as a beautiful young woman with a goose-egg face and autumn-water eyes. She inherited her mother's good looks but possesses her father's accommodating, quiet temperament. In her daily life, she is often seen performing mundane chores, fetching water, or sewing cloth shoes for her brother, always wearing a soft, tranquil smile.

However, her gentle exterior masks the profound detachment of an ancient high god. Having lived through countless lifetimes and reincarnations, she views the world's life and death, as well as the struggles of cultivators, with immense indifference. The only things she truly values are her human family—her father, her nagging mother, and especially her younger brother, Li Huai.

True Identity and Divine Authority

In the ancient era, Li Liu was the Jianghu Co-lord, one of the five highest deities of the old Heavenly Court. She held supreme authority over the world's waters, rivers, lakes, and seas. Even the powerful Dragon Slaying Envoys (斩龙使), who supervised and commanded the world's dragons, answered directly to her.

In her past, she engaged in a catastrophic Great Dao dispute of water and fire with the Fire God (the predecessor of Ruan Xiu), a conflict that Li Liu ultimately won. To temper her divine nature and fulfill a complex arrangement orchestrated by Yang Laotou, she was reincarnated into the Li family in Lizhu Grotto-Heaven.

History and Cultivation

After leaving Lizhu Grotto-Heaven, Li Liu traveled to Beiju Luzhou with her parents. Through the arrangements of Yang Laotou and the swordsman Cao Xi, she ascended Shizi Peak (狮子峰). Cao Xi handed over a golden lion seal and his old natal short sword to her, and with a single swing of the sword, she unleashed a heaven-cleaving sword aura, instantly breaking into the Middle Five Realms. She eventually reclaimed her position as the true founding ancestor of Shizi Peak's hidden lineage.

Her divine authority over water allowed her to perform miraculous feats effortlessly. When visiting the Dragon Palace Grotto-Heaven, she casually repaired the shattering golden body of the water deity Shen Lin and decreed that Shen Lin would become the Jidu Lingyuan Gong. Later, at Xie Long Stone (歇龙石), she stomped her foot and shattered the entire mountain into the sea to punish Liu Chicheng for his insolence, simultaneously forcing the Ascension Realm demon Dandan Furen (澹澹夫人) of Lushui Pit to submit as her servant.

Within a few short years, Li Liu reached the Immortal Realm (仙人境). Despite her immense power, she recognized that her divine nature would eventually overshadow her humanity, causing her to lose her emotional attachment to her family. When the time came for a final resolution with Ruan Xiu, Li Liu chose not to fight. Instead, she voluntarily stripped away all her divine nature and discarded it, allowing Ruan Xiu to ascend to the sky. Li Liu's discarded divine nature was later acquired by the sword cultivator Yu Si.

Relationships

• Li Er and Mother: Li Liu is a filial daughter who never talks back to her mother's constant complaining. Her father, Li Er, understands her true nature but simply treats her as his beloved daughter, hoping she retains her human affections.
• Li Huai: Her younger brother. Li Liu dotes on him deeply. Li Huai is fiercely protective of his sister, frequently threatening anyone he perceives as trying to court her, though he is entirely unaware of her supreme divine status.
• Han Chengjiang (韩澄江): Her husband. A lower-tier cultivator from the Han clan of the Hualing Dynasty. Their marriage was orchestrated by Yang Laotou to settle karmic debts and intertwined destinies from two of Han Chengjiang's previous lifetimes in the Middle Earth Divine Continent and Liuxia Continent.
• Ruan Xiu: The reincarnation of the ancient Fire God. They are ancient rivals who fought a world-shaking water-fire dispute in the past. In this lifetime, they maintained a tense, cold relationship until Li Liu gave up her divine nature to avoid another cataclysmic battle.
• Yang Laotou: The ancient Qingtóng Heavenly Lord who oversaw her reincarnation and guided her human tempering in the Lizhu Grotto-Heaven, warning her that merely accumulating lifetimes without understanding humanity would leave her a flawed god.
• Chen Ping'an: Though Lin Shouyi and Dong Shuijing harbored childhood crushes on her, Li Liu felt no romantic attachment to anyone from her hometown. She views Chen Ping'an with respect for how he treated Li Huai, referring to him politely as "Mr. Chen" (陈先生).

References

• 剑来10：他乡遇故知，第一章 — 人间苦难说不得: Details Li Liu's life at the base of Shizi Peak, her mother's complaints, and her secret status on the mountain.
• 剑来17：一洲皆起剑，第五章 — 本命瓷: Covers her meeting with Ruan Xiu at Shenxiu Mountain, handing over the grotto-heaven and blessed land, and discussions with Yang Laotou about her past and the water-fire dispute.
• 剑来18：我与我周旋，第五章 — 四顾茫然: Depicts her visit to the Dragon Palace Grotto-Heaven, her interactions with Chen Ping'an, and her terrifying authority over the water official Li Yuan.
• 剑来18：我与我周旋，第十章 — 此中有真意: Features a conversation between Li Liu and her father Li Er about the eventual overwhelming of her humanity by her divine nature.
• 剑来19：剑修如云处，第五章 — 落魄山祖师堂: Mentions her interactions with Li Huai and hints at her ancient identity as the Jianghu Co-lord.
• 剑来24：新酒等旧人，第四章 — 年轻人的小故事: Describes her shattering of Xie Long Stone and her subjugation of Dandan Furen at Lushui Pit.
• 剑来28：清都山水郎，第九章 — 老子婆娑: Reveals that Li Liu stripped away all her divine nature to avoid a final battle with Ruan Xiu, allowing Ruan Xiu to ascend.
• 剑来39：借取万重山，第五章 — 让道: Details her marriage to Han Chengjiang, her visit to his family in the Hualing Dynasty, and her confirmation of reaching the Immortal Realm.