Quick answer: You Loong waits in a flooded inlet past the lakeside boat yard below the Lion Dance Hall bell in Pangzhen. He fights with a trident and water attacks: sweeps, a long lunge, floating water bubbles and a dive under the water.
You Loong at a glance
The name shown on his health meter is “You Loong, Leader of the Blackwater Crew”. A towering, shirtless fighter wears a helmet shaped like a loong’s head and wields an elongated trident.
The Pangzhen battleground is a low, waterlogged cove bordered by ruined huts, reeds, lily pads, drifting paper lanterns, and a damaged wooden jetty. Soul spends most of the encounter upright in the water.
Nearest bell: Lion Dance Hall (Phantom Blade Zero bells).
Most of his attacks use water: rings and walls of spray, big floating water bubbles, and a dive that takes him under the surface.
This is a separate fight from You Loong, the Frenzied Blackwater Crew Leader at Meigu Lake, whose reward is the Loong Trident.
Where to find You Loong
In our run, a pack of swordsmen stood on that stair street, led by a Purple-Robed Twinblade Swordsman and a Faceless Swordsman Captain, and a first attempt that ran up the stairs ended in that pack before You Loong was ever reached.
You Loong’s attacks
Trident sweeps
He swings the trident wide around himself, and the swing throws a green arc of water across the surface. In our run, Soul’s parries struck orange sparks off these swings.
Water bubbles
Several green-blue water orbs drift across the pond in a spread, with some reaching Soul’s size.
Trident lunge
A single thrust carries him across a long stretch of water, with green trails streaming from the trident. The impact knocks Soul off his feet amid a burst of spray.
Dive under the water
He throws himself flat into the water and vanishes.
A white wake of spray runs across the pond toward Soul, the water starts churning around Soul’s feet, and then he bursts up right beside Soul.
Water eruption
Water boils up in a circular surge at Soul’s feet.
Spray charge
A raised curtain of spray precedes his rush as he charges forward.
Close-range strikes
At close quarters, he strings together trident thrusts and forceful blows; certain hits topple Soul into the water, followed by another attack.
How the fight went in our run
In our run on Pathbreaker, the one attempt that reached him lasted almost four minutes, and his bar only dropped a little.
In our run on Wayfarer, the attempt lasted a bit over five minutes and took about 30% off his bar before Soul went down.
In our run, the water attacks chained into each other, and the trident lunge and the follow-ups after a knockdown did the most damage.
Tips for the You Loong fight
First take out the doll-head foes and the group on the stairway. Afterward, rest at the Lion Dance Hall bell, then make your way to the inlet.
His trident sweeps and jabs can be parried. Read the swing and parry rather than trading hits; the parry and dodge guide covers the timing.
As the water orbs approach, sidestep their line of travel instead of staying put to heal.
During his underwater move, track the pale wake and evade as soon as turbulence forms around Soul’s feet.
Keep distance in mind: the trident lunge covers a long stretch of the pond, so backing off does not take Soul out of its reach.
If the fight is too hard, the difficulty can be changed from the System menu, and the change is applied with the “Apply changes to settings?” Confirm prompt (see difficulty modes).
You Loong rewards
In our run, the You Loong’s Deluge card appeared right after the fight: an Artifice Phantom Edge with Damage 201 and Guard Break 180.
Its card reads “A Loong-headed weapon forged by You Loong, leader of the Blackwater Crew.” Holding the Phantom Edge key sprays a high-pressure water jet, and its Wet and Douse Flames arts are listed on the card.
A second card, “You Loong’s Deluge Exploration Ability”, followed. It says the You Loong’s Deluge can extinguish burning flame barriers even when not equipped (see barriers and how to clear them).
Other boss fights and their rewards are in all Phantom Blade Zero bosses.
