Qingming Sword
Last updated 2026-08-31
Qingming Sword is a weapon in Zenless Zone Zero. It is a jian and one of the Void Hunter Weapons, served as the most prized relic of Yunkui Summit. Its wielders are called Qingming Sword Keepers, and the sword comes with a Qingming Sword Manual.[1] It is currently wielded by Ye Shunguang.
Overview
The Qingming Sword contains two opposing forces that constantly battle, generating enough destructive energy to cause a disaster on par with the Fall of the Old Capital. To prevent the energy from leaking into the world outside, The Qingming Sword Keepers act as mediators, granting the Sword Keepers the ability of a Void Hunter for a short duration, which comes at the cost of gradually consuming the user's five senses and memories with each use.[2][3] However, Ye Shunguang fully mastered the Qingming Sword, and has, for the meantime, shown no sign of having negative side effects.[4]
Every High Preceptor receives the sword as a symbol of their position. When its wielder dies, the sword's power goes berserk and affects everything in its vicinity.[1]
The Qingming Sword and The Creator share the same origin.[5] As such, the Creator is able to absorb the Qingming Sword's power, while the Qingming Sword is able to kill the Creator.[4] It is also why the negative effects of the Qingming Sword is able to be lifted through the Creator's power.[5]
History
Legend has it that it was first discovered near the Lemnian Hollow, originally a bizarre object feeding on the Ether within human bodies, until a powerful master with incredible control over Ether suppressed its rampage. Unable to find a way to destroy it, they forged it into a sword, leading to the establishment of the Yunkui Summit sect.[6] From then on, the Qingming Sword chose its master, acting as both a blessing and a curse.
Alongside the acquirement of the Qingming Sword, two parts of an ancient prophecy came with it "When darkness shrouds this land, all things wither, and songs of sorrow fall silent, only Bai Ze wielding the Qingming blade can break through the long night and awaken the dawn," and "The path of Bai Ze is never walked alone. When fate shifts, shadow follows light. Blessing and curse, joy and grief — one thought leads to heaven, the next to the abyss."[7]
In recent times, the Qingming Sword had chosen Yijiang as its new master, while the health of previous one, the eleventh High Preceptor, was slowly deteriorating as the aftermath of using the Qingming Sword. To prevent her sister to meet the same fate and instead live a long and happy life, Yixuan, together with Yijiang herself, developed a new technique called the Qingming Bird.[3] However, when faced with the disaster of the expanding Hollow Zero, Yijiang chose to sacrifice herself and save her sister (and Eridu with her) from calamity.[3]
After the Fall of the Old Capital, the orphaned Ye siblings got taken in by Lu Hengzhou of Yunkui Summit.[8] While Ye Shiyuan struggled at the beginning of his training, Ye Shunguang showed an incredible talent.[9] So, under Lu Hengzhou's manipulation, Ye Shunguang was brought towards the Qingming Sword, which brought her to be chosen by it.[8] Fearing that tragedy will repeat itself, Yixuan gifted her a sword case she crafted to suppress the side effects of the Qingming Sword, sealing it away, and put her in constant training in order to keep her away from dangerous missions.[6] Shiyuan, who swore to free his sister from the curse, first tried to shift the Qingming Sword's side effects onto himself instead,[10] then left to look for a definitive solution after Shunguang had unsheathed the sword to save him from the Creator's control.[11]
When the Creator possessed Ye Shiyuan, Ye Shunguang used the Qingming Sword's power to repel the Creator's power, revealing that the Qingming Sword can battle against Them.[11] As the Creator's oncoming descent caused Ether fluctuations throughout Lemnian Hollow, Ye Shunguang used the Qingming Sword to the point of losing all of her senses.[12] Eventually, using the remnant power of the Creator, Phaethon was able to guide the power towards Ye Shunguang, having her recover all her senses.[5]
When fighting against the Messenger of the Creator, Ye Shunguang fully mastered the Qingming Sword without any negative side effects, fulfulling the role of Bai Ze.[4] For this feat, Ye Shunguang was awarded by Mayor Mayflower the title of Void Hunter.[13]
Users
- Founder of Yunkui Summit (creator, formerly)
- 11th High Preceptor (formerly)
- Yijiang (formerly)
- Ye Shunguang (current)
Gallery
Trivia
Etymology
- 青溟剑 Qīngmíng-jiàn literally means "Azure Sea Sword" in Chinese.
- Qingming Sword's name is most likely derived from the Qingming Sword (Chinese: 青冥劍 Qīngmíng-jiàn, "Azure Dark/Underworld Sword"), which was a legendary sword that appeared in the State of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period of China, and the sword was believed to be lost in the Han Dynasty.[14] The sword currently exists in literature only, especially in fantasy works.
- In the 2000 movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the sword is owned by the male protagonist, Li Mubai, and is called "Green Destiny" in the English translation.
Other Languages
| Language | Official Name |
|---|---|
| English | Qingming Sword |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 青溟剑 Qīngmíng-jiàn |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 青溟劍 Qīngmíng-jiàn |
| Japanese | 青溟剣 Seimei-ken |
| Korean | 청명검청명검 Cheongmyeonggeom |
| Spanish | Espada Qingming |
| French | Épée Qingming |
| Russian | Небесный меч Nebesnyy mech |
| Thai | ดาบชิงหมิง |
| Vietnamese | Thanh Minh KiếmThanh Minh Kiếm |
| German | Qingming-Schwert |
| Indonesian | Pedang Qingming |
| Portuguese | Espada Qingming |
Change History
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Disc Set: White Water Ballad
- ↑ Phaethon's Story, To Be Fuel for the Night, Episode 5: Keeper of the Qingming Sword
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Phaethon's Story, Where Clouds Embrace the Dawn, Episode 10: Yunkui Disciples Re-Emerge
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Phaethon's Story, To Be Fuel for the Night, Episode 10: Mortal Form
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Phaethon's Story, To Be Fuel for the Night, Episode 7: A Sudden Turn of Events
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Zenless Zone Zero (November 14, 2025). ZTALK | Behind the Scenes of Zenless Zone Zero's Main Story. YouTube.
- ↑ Inter-Knot Post: (Intel) Digging Deep Into Ancient Legends of Waifei Peninsula While Failume Heights Is Hot
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Phaethon's Story, To Be Fuel for the Night, Episode 8: Secrets Beneath the Ice
- ↑ Story Commission: Leisurely Lull: Untold Secrets
- ↑ Phaethon's Story, On the Precipice of the Abyss, Episode 5: Fleeting Warmth
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Phaethon's Story, On the Precipice of the Abyss, Episode 6: A Series of Changes
- ↑ Phaethon's Story, To Be Fuel for the Night, Episode 6: A foreseen Conclusion
- ↑ Phaethon's Story, To Be Fuel for the Night, Episode 11: The Oath
- ↑ Baidu: 青冥剑
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