Heart of The Sun Warrior: Plot Summary and Ending Explained

Heart of the Sun Warrior is the sequel to Daughter of the Moon Goddess, and the final novel in the Celestial Kingdom duology. Both novels are written by Sue Lynn Tan, who has published other novels on top of a short story collection following this duology. The following article will summarize the entire novel, so take this as your spoiler warning. As this novel is split into three parts, each part will have its own separate heading. If you are looking for a spoilers free review, check it out here!

Heart of The Sun Warrior: Summary Part 1

The first part of this novel takes place right after the events of Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Now that Chang’e is no longer banished and bound to the moon, Celestials are able to visit the Pure Light Palace freely. During this time, Xingyin is resting and recovering from her encounter with the Celestial Emperor. Although she was able to secure her family’s future, her body took the brunt of his wrath. While recovering, her friend, Shuxiao, and her lover, Liwei, would visit her. After the events of the first novel, Wenzhi would meet with Xingyin as well, but due to the mistrust deep in her heart, Xingyin would ignore him completely.

During her recovery, Xingyin still kept on high alert for any potential danger. This proved fruitful one night after a few visitors stayed the night. Although Xingyin was suspicious of Master Haoran, a winemaker, it turns out Master Gang, was guilty. This night, Master Gang was found chopping down the laurel tree. This laurel provided mysterious healing powers and is the reason why Xingyin was recovering at a much faster rate. After Xingyin confronts Master Gang, Master Gang escapes into the night.

After such a terrifying night, Xingyin shares her findings with Liwei the next day. Although troubled, Liwei then takes Xingyin away, to have a serious conversation with her. Once arriving at their destination, Liwei proposes to Xingyin, however, Xingyin is hesitant due to the rift between their families. Liwei tries to reassure Xingyin, however, it is of no use. Liwei instead promises Xingyin to wait for her to feel ready once again.

Her fears are made true not too long into the future. When Liwei takes Xingyin to his father’s birthday celebration, Xingyin discovers some scary truths. The first one is how much power Minister Wu had gained since her last encounter with him. The second was the discovery that Minister Wu’s full name is Wugang, which makes the Master Gang that attacked the laurel the night before was the same person.

To add more to this unfortunate situation, during this celebration, Chang’e did not light the lanterns on the moon, causing the moon to stay dim in the sky. Because of this, the Celestial Emperor is furious over this ill omen. Although Xingyin tries to convince His Celestial Majesty that her mother might be in danger since the lanterns are not lit, the Celestial Emperor refuses to listen to reason. Caught between Xingyin and his parents, Liwei choses to stay by Xingyin’s side and to check up on Chang’e.

After scouring the moon for her mother, the pair soon come across a note that Chang’e definitely read. On the note, it read that what Cahgn’e wants to find, she will find in the Mortal Realm. There, Xingyin raced to the realm to find her mother. After sending her back to the moon, Xingyin encounters a man that recognizes her.

The man introduces himself as her father, and although Xingyin doesn’t believe it, she eventually relents and accepts the fact. Even though years have paced since Chang’e ascended to the moon, Houyi, Xingyin’s father, was able to survive from a mere drop of the Elixir of Immortality. However, the effects are starting to fade, and Houyi is slowly succumbing to sickness.

After this revelation, Xingyin decides to ask Liwei for an elixir to bestow Houyi immortality to restore their family. Liwei refuses, there was no way that the Celestial Emperor would relinquish such a powerful concoction. Before they could discuss more, soldiers from the Celestial Kingdom arrive and proclaim that Chang’e will be punished for neglecting to light the lanterns and is now removed from guardianship of those lanterns. In the meantime, no residents of the moon are to leave. Liwei is also to return to the Celestial Kingdom, which he complies.

Instead of staying confined on the moon, Xingyin sneaks off to meet up with Tao, the person who knows a lot about the Elixir. Together, they steal the Elixir from its guarded room in the Celestial Kingdom. However, after fighting off traps and soldiers, it turns out there was only one Elixir left, which Tao took, whilst abandoning and betraying Xingyin.

After this battle, a weary Xingyin sneaks back onto the moon and discovers that Celestial troops are marching to the moon to attack the laurel. This attack is being led by Wugang. As Xingyin and her family try to escape, Xingyin ends up confronting Wugang and the two begin to fight. During this conflict, Ping’er is struck by lightning and killed. With the help of Wenzhi, the group is able to escape, at the cost of Ping’er’s death. Ping’er’s final words direct the group to the Southern Sea, where she wishes to return.

Heart of The Sun Warrior: Summary Part 2

Honoring Ping’er’s last wish, the group visit the Southern Sea and meet with Queen Suihe. Once in the throne room and introductions were completed, Ping’er’s family meet the group and mourn over Ping’er’s death. After that, they remove the body to prepare for their funeral traditions. Queen Suihe then suggests that the group stay for the ceremony. Although the group hopes to put more distance between themselves and the Celestial army, there is not much they can do to refuse the queen.

While waiting, Xingyin then asks Wenzhi to send a message to the Celestial Empress via Wenzhi’s spies within the kingdom. Xingyin and the Celestial Empress then meet in the mortal realm. There, the two strike a deal to help save Liwei’s life. In exchange for helping Liwei’s escape from the Kingdom, Xingyin must reject Liwei’s marriage proposal. Although this deal kills a part of Xingyin on the inside, she agrees in order to save Liwei.

After the contract has been decided, Wenzhi and Xingyin make preparations to save Liwei. Through shells that record and replay sounds through magic, Xingyin is able to free Liwei from aid from an unexpected source; Liwei’s sister, Zhiyi. Through this revelation, it was also found that Tao only stole this elixir in order for Zhiyi to restore her husband’s health. However, after some back and forth, Tao relinquishes the elixir to Xingyin.

With the elixir in hand, Xingyin visits her father and offers the elixir. After a moment of hesitation, Houyi drinks the concoction and the effects are almost immediate. He ages back a few years and the illness is cured from his body. With immortality on his side, the two return to the Southern Sea, where Houyi reveals himself to his wife, and the two embrace.

Some time after that, the group try to decide on the next course of action. Before a decision is made, Chang’e and Xingyin are summoned to the throne room, as Prince Yanxi of the Eastern Sea has visited. When reaching the room, Xingyin spots Yanxi and is also embraced by the young Yanming. After some pleasantries are shared, Queen Suihe discovers that the group is wanted by the Celestial. Although Xingyin tried to reason with the queen, a fight breaks out and the whole group is forced to retreat and leave the Southern Sea.

Even though the group are able to escape, they are stopped by Wugang and the Celestial Army. However, this army was different than the usual army. Instead, Wugang uses the power of the laurel seeds to create undead soldiers.

The only way to defeat them was through fire and destroying the jade disk on its body. During this bloody battle, the Long Dragon is summoned. However, even with the dragon, the group suffers a terrible loss; Prince Yanming is killed by the soldiers, and there was nothing the group can do to save him. The group is able to subdue Wugang, but due to the magic found in the soldiers, they were not able to kill him. Instead, the two sides parted way on a temporary truce. With the threat gone, Prince Yanxi takes his brother’s corpse, and with the help of the Long Dragon, the pair return home.

The group then comes up with a new plan that needs the aid of Lady Xihe, the mother of the sunbirds that Houyi had shot down to protect the Mortal Realm. With a goal in mind, and hearts heavy with grief, the group begins their next part of their journey.

Heart of The Sun Warrior: Summary Part 3

In order to access the area where Lady Xihue lives, the group must acquire a key from the Celestial Empress in order to enter the Grove. After much hesitation, the Celestial Empress gives the key to Xingyin, as she is the only one allowed to enter the Grove. After giving the key, Liwei and his mother leave the group. After all preparations are made, Xingyin enters the Grove.

Once there, Lady Xihue recognizes Xingyin right away. Even with the threat on the world as a whole, Xihue refuses to relinquish the Sacred Flame feather, which could be used to rid the world of the threat of Wugang. Instead, Xihue proposes a trial instead. If Xingyin were to pass, the feather would be hers. If she fails, she dies. Xingyin’s opponent was a phoenix, and after a tense battle, Xingyin passes and is given the feather.

With that in her possession, there was only one more item needed in order to complete their plan to finish Wugang off once and for all. This item would be a forbidden scroll guarded by the ruler of the Demon Realm. Using that scroll would allow someone to change their physical appearance. This was the final key to complete their plan. The only problem was that the only way for the scroll to be obtained was if Wenzhi and Xingyin were to be wed.

After a few days, the wedding ceremony began. With a plan to cause a slight disruption, the two was able to avoid being wed completely through the ceremony. However, after the ceremony was seemingly complete, Xingyin requests the Divine Mirror Scroll, but before anything else could happen, a spear whistled through the air and embedded itself in King Wenming’s chest. In his rage, Wenming lashes out at Xingyin and attacks her mind through his magic. Then it was revealed that Prince Wenshuang was responsible for the patricide. With throne vacant, Wenzhi and Wenzhuang duel, with Wenzhi coming on top.

With all the items needed for the plan to work, the final battle began. First, a war broke out between the Demon army and the Celestial Army. As the battle raged on, Xingyin, disguised as Chang’e is kidnapped by Wugang’s soldiers. Then, she is brought back to the moon where the laurel rests. When the time was right, Xingyin severed her connection of the illusion spell and drove the feather into the roots of the laurel. As the whole tree burned, Wugang attempted to kill Xingyin, but was stopped by an arrow of Sky-fire through the chest shot by Houyi.

After the battle was over, Wenzhi was killed during the breaking of spell, consuming his own lifeforce in order to sustain the spell long enough for Xingyin to succeed. With her task complete, and her body ravaged by carrying the feather, Xingyin also passed into the afterlife. But, with the fading powers of the laurel, she was brought back to life, but Wenzhi remained dead.

For the next countless years, Xingyin worked on recovering from the battle. After losing Wenzhi, she discovered a part of herself had died when Wenzhi had died. Slowly, through aimless wandering, Xingyin began to process her grief. One day she felt Wenzhi’s presence near the Cloud Wall, and that is where she spent most of her days, until one day the presence was gone.

After that, Xingyin went to Liwei, who revealed that a mortal was born with Wenzhi’s body, however, his soul is one of a mortal’s. From there, Xingyin makes contact with this Wenzhi, even though he does not recognize her. Together, they promise to meet once again in the future, which pushes Xingyin to being living her life with no regrets and love once more.