Yu Hongyan

Yu Hongyan is the matriarch of the Mo Qing Sect and the master of Qin Xinci and Xie Yan.

## Personality and Traits

Yu Hongyan is a friendly and benign person. She is gorgeous as a consequence of practising the Maiden's Scripture. Xie Yan considers her different from other women of the sect and supports her whenever possible. Yu Hongyan is gifted in martial arts cultivation, achieving the Innate Realm - 6th Layer at a young age. Although Yu Hongyan is perceptive about people, she admits she isn't good at managing the sect.

Yu Hongyan is fond of Xie Yan and treats him as a friend rather than a servant. She has immense faith in Xie Yan's acumen and relies on him to compensate for her mediocre leadership ability. Yu Hongyan is aware that the current Xie Yan is not the original Xie Yan lured by Qin Xinci. Nevertheless, she deemed Xie Yan to be a reliable person and accepted him.

## Plot

Yu Hongyan was formerly the disciple of the previous matriarch of the Mo Qing Sect. Years ago, the matriarch's premature death caused a succession crisis and Yu Hongyan became the new matriarch. Since then, her master's elder martial sister, the Great Elder Wu Lingxian resented Yu Hongyan for robbing her rightful position. At some point in time, Yu Hongyan took Qin Xinci as her last direct disciple. Prior to meeting Xie Yan, the matriarch had sustained many internal injuries and was ill for a long time. She concealed the true nature of her injuries from everyone, and consequently her leadership over the Mo Qing Sect declined.

Yu Hongyan first meets Xie Yan when she is about to execute the latter for trespassing the ancestral shrine. Xie Yan correctly diagnoses her secret injuries and warns her that if left untreated, her cultivation will regress. He reveals his Finger Of Nirvana technique and claims that he obtained it from the sect founder Yu Xiuluo in a dream. The matriarch is amazed by the effectiveness of this ability and decides to protect Xie Yan. She deceives the sect by lying that she castrated Xie Yan as punishment and takes him as her personal servant. In the following month, thanks to Xie Yan's medical treatment, Yu Hongyan completely recovers from her injuries and is able to improve her cultivation. She begins to trust Xie Yan, and grants him the Heavenly Guard and the Finger Of Flowery Swords techniques, making him an accomplished disciple of the Mo Qing Sect.

Eventually, Xie Yan forewarns Yu Hongyan and the other elders of the 4th Elder, Wei Rudao being a mole from the Blissful Temple and suggests staging an infighting to trap the Blissful Temple. The matriarch is furious with Xie Yan's accusations, because Wei Rudao is her childhood friend. Nevertheless, she heeds Xie Yan's suggestion and is upset when his prediction eventually comes true. The next day, when Dang Hongchen and her subordinates invade the Mo Qing Sect, Xie Yan helps Yu Hongyan replenish her energy. The elders trap the enemy in the Great Sect Formation while Yu Hongyan kills Huo Liangu, Bao Pugu, Wu Xiagu, and Huang Tingxian. With her plans thwarted, Dang Hongchen commits suicide while Yu Hongyan tearfully kills Wei Rudao.

Later, Yu Hongyan distributes Wei Rudao's properties among the other elders. She claims the branch at Qufeng city for herself and appoints Xie Yan as its branch master. Eventually, Yu Hongyan appoints Qin Xinci as the 4th Elder and sends her to assist Xie Yan in Qufeng.

The matriarch is surprised when Xie Yan returns to the Mo Qing Sect for a while. She is amazed to discover Cyany's existence and reveals that even without shamanic techniques, she can clearly perceive ghosts. As a reward for Xie Yan's achievements in Qufeng, Yu Hongyan gives him the Startling Rainbow Escape technique. Xie Yan eagerly requests for more techniques, but Yu Hongyan refuses, telling him to concentrate his efforts on ascending the Innate Realm.

Some days later, the matriarch insists Xie Yan to attend an emergency meeting conducted by the sect elders. She invites Bai Suyuan, interim High Priestess of the Blissful Temple to the Mo Qing Sect and requests her to explain her situation to Xie Yan. Bai Suyuan explains the unrest in the Blissful Temple, caused by the return of Liu Qingmei and the latter's stance of attacking the Mo Qing Sect. The High Priestess offers an alliance to the Mo Qing Sect, in exchange for helping her assassinate Liu Qingmei. Xie Yan prompts the matriarch to use a method on Bai Suyuan to prevent treachery. Yu Hongyan agrees to help Bai Suyuan and orders Xie Yan to accompany the High Priestess to serve as a liaison between the two sects until they formulate a plan to kill Liu Qingmei. The matriarch provides Xie Yan with her energy concealment pendant as well as a list of important contacts before sending him off.

After Xie Yan returns, Yu Hongyan is pleasantly surprised to learn that he resolved the entire matter by himself. Days later, the matriarch permits Xie Yan to travel for a while, for the purpose of achieving the Innate Realm. Some months later, the matriarch goes into seclusion for cultivation. Yu Hongyan meets Xie Yan once again, when the latter returns to the Mo Qing Sect after one year, upon entering the Innate Realm. Later, she offers the post of a sect elder to Xie Yan, but he refuses, stating that he is content with remaining as her retainer. Yu Hongyan spends the night conversing with Xie Yan before returning to seclusion. Before leaving, she presents Xie Yan with her romantic tragedy novel she had personally authored.

Three months later, the matriarch sends off the Elders, Xie Yan, and Shi Yan'er to the Great Gathering of the Nine Sects. She issues instructions to the group members and warns them to either avoid other demonic practitioners or swiftly defeat them and seize Dao Harmony Rooms. She also provides the group with booklets containing a list of participants and precautions. The matriarch activates the teleportation portal to send the group to their destination.

One day later, the event concludes, and all participants from the Mo Qing Sect safely return home. Although the matriarch is in seclusion, she notices Xie Yan having trouble with the Xin Mo Seal fragment. She secretly suppresses the seal and summons Xie Yan to her room. Xie Yan explains the whole truth to Yu Hongyan- about him impersonating Ge Huaiyu, and his adventure at the Xin Mo Sect. He also explains Yu Hongyan about his plan to instigate conflict between the Xin Mo Sect and the Chongling Dao, as well as his battle with Yi Daochi during the Great Gathering of the Nine Sects. The matriarch takes some Yin energy from Cyany and uses the Great Sect Formation to launch an attack on the Xin Mo Sect. In this way, Yu Hongyan frames the Chongling Dao for the attack on the Xin Mo Sect, which triggers war between the two sects. Afterwards, Yu Hongyan decides to examine Xie Yan's martial arts, since he has completed his Anointment at the Great Gathering of the Nine Sects.

Yu Hongyan is surprised that Xie Yan can forcibly make the Finger Of Flowery Swords and the True Art Of Mara coexist. However, she warns Xie Yan that cultivating multiple Innate Realm martial arts would slow down his cultivation progress and even hinder the latter's ascension to the Innate Realm - 7th Layer and beyond. Yu Hongyan promises to find a solution for Xie Yan. Xie Yan tells Yu Hongyan of his plan to procure Energy Spirit Stones from the Xilan Kingdom. The matriarch permits him to embark on his mission and returns to her seclusion. Three months later, Yu Hongyan ascends to the Innate Realm - 6th Layer. Xie Yan returns from the Xilan Kingdom and reports everything to her. Yu Hongyan orders the elders to investigate Ji Jinye's conspiracy. She also dispatches Qin Xinci as an envoy to other demonic sects. Yu Hongyan uses the Perception Method Of Spiritual Secrets on Xie Yan and spends two months resolving the conflict between the Finger Of Flowery Swords and the True Art Of Mara. In the end, Yu Hongyan succeeds and Xie Yan is able to use the Finger Of Flowery Swords and the True Art Of Mara freely. Later, although the other elders inform Yu Hongyan that the invesitigation on the Ji family yielded nothing, the matriarch insists on maintaining precautions. Yu Hongyan intends to send Xie Yan to accompany Qin Xinci in her visit to other demonic sects, but Xie Yan volunteers to visit the Tang Empire and convince Gongsun, a former elder of the Mo Qing Sect, to return. Yu Hongyan provides Xie Yan with a booklet about the Tang Empire's martial arts community and sends him off.

## Trivia

* Yu Hongyan shares her surname with Yu Xiuluo, the founder of the Mo Qing Sect, although it is unknown if she is a descendant. Her name, Hongyan means "beautiful lady".
* Yu Hongyan's secret hobby is reading romance and porn novels, and her favorite author is Xie Yan.
* Yu Hongyan's cultivation was at Innate Realm - 4th Layer when she met Xie Yan for the first time. According to Xie Yan, she has made the fastest progress among sect masters, having reached Innate Realm - 6th Layer in two years.
* Yu Hongyan has far surpassed her late master who achieved only Innate Realm - 4th Layer in her lifetime.
* According to Xie Yan, Yu Hongyan is a sublime beauty who could have improved his Finger Of Flowery Swords and helped him reach the Innate Realm. Xie Yan doesn't seduce her because she would see through his intentions immediately.