How to Beat Huangxing, the Kunlun Renegade in Phantom Blade Zero

Huangxing, the Kunlun Renegade, is the fight many players recognise from Phantom Blade Zero's trailers. PCGamesN calls it "the famous fight you saw in the trailer." He is the headline boss of the Mountain of Imprisonment, he fights in two forms, and beating him unlocks one of the most useful traversal tools in the game.

Getting there

The Mountain of Imprisonment is unlocked through the Illusory Pipa quest line, which TechWiser describes as repairing the Heartrend Pipa with Myst after defeating Dusk, Yubi and Yan Qiansui. If you are not there yet, see the Illusory Pipa guide. On the way to Huangxing you will also meet the Iron Butcher, Bi Feng and Kui Yanyan. Our Mountain of Imprisonment guide covers them.

Phase one: the Kunlun Renegade

In the first form Huangxing swings a chain flail. PCGamesN's main warning is about his accelerating spin: when he spins the flail and it keeps getting faster, the sequence ends with a red attack. Kung Fu Punk and AllThings.How describe the same move and add a practical counter. The arena has pillars, and you can use them to jump clear of the spin.

The arena is cramped, which is the other challenge of phase one. PCGamesN notes the lack of space, so keep an eye on where the walls and pillars are and avoid getting cornered.

Kung Fu Punk and AllThings.How also point out a punish window after his throw. When he hurls the flail and it is recovering, close the distance and attack.

Phase two: the Whirling Executioner

In his second form he becomes Huangxing, the Whirling Executioner. Two moves define this phase:

• Floor roll. He rolls across the floor toward you. PCGamesN's advice is to dodge just before he reaches you, rather than early.
• Wind and sword string. Two wind swipes and one sword slash are followed by a blue attack, and often a red one right after. PCGamesN says that if you time the parry on the blue attack correctly, you will not have to deal with the red follow-up.

Higher difficulties

Kung Fu Punk notes that on harder settings Huangxing can deflect Tiger Cannon shots, so do not rely on ranged spam. Use the pillars and good timing instead. The Tiger Cannon is a late-game edge from Lei Dang, so this matters mainly on a New Cycle; see our difficulty guide and New Game Plus guide.

Practical tips

• Learn where the pillars are before committing to an attack string.
• Never stand still during the flail spin; jump off a pillar when it speeds up.
• Punish after the throw.
• In phase two, dodge the roll late.
• Parry the blue strike after the wind-wind-sword combo.
• Equip Hunter's Insight or Token of Pursuit for extra damage in punish windows; both are listed in our accessories database.

Reward

Huangxing awards the Flying Guillotine Phantom Edge. TechWiser lists it as an Artifice edge with 380 damage and 309 guard break that pulls mechanical dials. PCGamesN says it opens locked areas in almost every map, so after beating him it is worth backtracking through earlier regions. Its tempering material is the Enhanced Chainsaw (Soul-Siphoning Hunt effect).

Right after Huangxing, TechWiser notes that you can talk to Inanis deeper in the Lady's Shrine to obtain Inanis' Radiant Fan, a summoning edge that restores health and Sha-Chi. See every edge on the Phantom Edges page.

General boss tips that apply here

These rules come up again and again in PCGamesN's boss breakdowns and games.gg's duel tips. Parry blue flashes and perfect dodge red ones; red attacks cannot be blocked safely. Watch your Sha-Chi bar, because running it dry leaves you Guard-Broken. Switching between your two main weapons quickly refills Sha-Chi, which games.gg highlights as a key defensive trick. Save your heaviest combos and Phantom Edge skills for the moment the boss is Guard-Broken. If a fight is a wall, th.gl confirms you can lower the difficulty outside combat to widen parry and dodge windows, and the Reflex Device accessory (AllThings.How) adds another 15%. For more, see our beginner tips, all bosses in order and the build planner.