vervainshadows @vervainshadows - Tumblr Blog

TGCF SPOILERS

I think people fail to understand just how powerful Jun Wu really is.

And I know many TGCF fans think that Xie Lian won against him because he was stronger thanks to the power of love (or the devotion of Fafa, which is kind of the same thing), the fact that he had a secret move Jun Wu didn't know and all that, and it is partly true.

I also know that many picture him as the absolute villain of the story, as reflected in many fictional works.

This last part never sat right with me, so I spent some time thinking about it.

Jun Wu is extremely powerful, even without his armour.

In fact, Xie Lian had never managed to injure him in his Bai Wuxiang form.

But then, in the final battle, he seemed to lose all power and will to fight as soon as his armour was pierced. This didn't sit right with me, either.

Now, I think I understand why. It took me two years to actually put this thought into words (good job, me).

Jun Wu wasn't bad, per se.

Xie Lian's whole experience is the retelling of Jun Wu's story, with a slight but decisive difference. And well, Xie Lian isn't bad.

Jun Wu was lonely and driven to madness. He suffered for his people, did all that he could for them and still ended up being trampled by the ones he tried to protect. Once he fell, he was desperate and faced with difficult choices.

But in his desperation and madness, he was ready to do it all to save the common people. This is why he ended up killing three of his closest friends.

Then, it was Xie Lian's turn.

Xie Lian didn't act much differently.

I'm not saying that he would've sacrificed Feng Xin and Mu Qing, but he was also never faced with a Volcano that needed human sacrifices to be placated.

Jun Wu wanted someone to understand him. So he made Xie Lian go through the same experiences as him. In his own morbid way, he wanted to get someone to accept him for how he is. Only a person who shared the same fate was worthy of being his successor.

He was determined to make him lose everything, to make him understand.

But Xie Lian had the one thing he didn't have. Unconditional love. And an apology.

People who helped him when he was at his worst. One person who didn't leave. And that one person was enough to change it all.

So then, when his armour was finally pierced, Jun Wu realized.

Xie Lian understood him, but still managed to make the right choice. He had been like him, but despite it all, there were people who still loved and accepted him. Despite the pain, he remained kind.

And there was someone out there who accepted Jun Wu for who he was, as well.

He had found his successor. The only person who was worthy of ruling the Heavens.

It was finally time for him to let it go and repent for his sins.

So he did.