Overview
The Mad Lord is one of the main antagonists of the Middle Realms arc. He is a puppeteer of immense skill and terrifying obsession. He was described as an old man with a hunchback, wielding a cane.
Due to the loss of his lover, he became insane and started making puppets in the hopes of recreating [Her]. His life-long wish is to activate Yeon's Play and become one with [Her]. Occasionally, Jo Yeon becomes sane, during which he exceeds wisdom and even acts kindly towards Eun-hyun, but these moments are fleeting.
Personality
Mad Lord's personality is wildly erratic and doubly insane. His insanity is a by-product of the sorrow he felt when he lost his wife. This insanity led to him being feared by all the other Heavenly Being cultivators in the Head Realm. However, he is shown to have a soft spot for lovers as they remind him of his own life.
The only exception to this is when the Mad Lord's Heart Essence is forcefully cleaned either by Seo Eun-Hyun or by Baek Woon. In his sane state, he is shown to be wise and clear-headed. This state however doesn't last long and the Mad Lord is forced back into insanity in a manner of seconds or days.
Relationships
Seo Eun-hyun
Seo Eun-Hyun first met the Mad Lord when the Mad Lord sensed his colleague, Kim Yeon's, enormous consciousness. On the 11th cycle, Seo Eun-Hyun persuaded the Mad Lord to kill Yuan Li upon telling him the story of the two immortals. Mad Lord, saddened by Eun-Hyun's story, listened to [Her] persuasion and decided to go after Eun-Hyun to turn him into a puppet. From that day on Eun-Hyun developed an irrational fear of the Mad Lord.
Upon ascending, Seo Eun-Hyun was captured by the Mad Lord as his second disciple and was taken to the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress. Seo Eun-Hyun was modified by Mad Lord and given many modifications to his body until one faithful day where he converted Eun-Hyun to General Seo.
Kim Yeon
Kim Yeon is Mad Lord's direct disciple. She was captured by him on ascension path after awakening her consciousness. Kim Yeon without Eun-Hyun intervening goes insane. After being rescued by Eun-Hyun from the fortress and gaining [Her]'s arm she gains conflicted feelings on the Mad Lord. In many other cycles she learns her fate and realizes how to operate the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress and start Yeon's play.
[Her] (Wol Ha-eun)
[Her] is canonically known as Mad Lord's lover. She is the doll version of his dead lover Wol Ha-eun. She died a tragic death which heralded Jo Yeon's transformation into the Mad Lord. Mad Lord created the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress to create Yeon's Play and live one final moment alongside his wife. In many cycles, Yeon's Play was complete and Mad Lord died peacefully alongside his wife.
Prowess
Trivia
- "Mad Lord" (怪君) can be translated as "Strange Monarch" or "Monster Lord".
- His obsession with puppets mirrors the themes of control and loss prevalent in the series.
References
- Novel Chapter 3 - Debut.
- Manhwa Chapter 4 - Debut.