Heavenly Golden Cloud Serpent

Reins of the Heavenly Golden Cloud Serpent is an epic flying mount added in patch 5.5.0 of the Mists of Pandaria expansion. It is a majestic cloud serpent radiant with golden light, like a sunrise over the mountains of Pandaria. The mount is purchased from Mistweaver Ku on the Timeless Isle for 100,000 Timeless Coins, once you reach Exalted reputation with the Emperor Shaohao faction.

Visually, the mount resembles the daytime form of Tsulong from the Mogu'shan Vaults raid — a graceful sky serpent with a luminescent mane and claws that subtly shift hue depending on the zone's lighting. Among all the cloud serpents in the game, the Heavenly Golden one stands out for the brightness and scale of its model.

• Guaranteed acquisition — no RNG. As soon as you reach Exalted with Emperor Shaohao and save up 100,000 Timeless Coins, the mount is yours.
• Collection rarity — according to Wowhead data, only about 26% of players own this mount. Many simply don't know it exists or aren't willing to invest the time in farming reputation.
• Unique model — the heavenly version of the golden cloud serpent is significantly larger and brighter than the standard one. The golden radiance and glow effect make it one of the most beautiful mounts in the MoP series.
• Ground and flying — it works in both travel modes. On the ground, the serpent glides gracefully; in the air, it soars among the clouds.
• Account-wide — after purchase, the mount appears in the collection of all your characters.

• Character level 10+ (the purchase level was lowered from 90 in patch 9.0.1).
• Riding skill: Apprentice Riding (Expert is no longer required as of patch 9.0.2).
• Exalted reputation with the Emperor Shaohao faction (42,000 points from Indifferent to Exalted).
• 100,000 Timeless Coins.
• Cloud serpent riding skill is no longer required (removed in patch 6.0.2).

The Timeless Isle is located southeast of the Jade Forest in Pandaria. There are several ways to get there.

Via the Portal in the Capital

1. Head to the portal room in Stormwind (Alliance) or Orgrimmar (Horde)
2. Use the portal to the Jade Forest
3. From the Jade Forest, fly southeast, past the edge of the map, over the Mistvale Sea
4. The Timeless Isle will appear after a few seconds of flight. Don't worry about the fatigue bar — you'll arrive before it runs out

Via the Quest (First Visit)

1. Visit your faction's shrine in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms — the quest A Flash of Bronze... will appear automatically
2. Meet Chromie at the entrance to the Seat of Knowledge above the Mogu'shan Palace
3. Get the quest Journey to the Timeless Isle and the Curious Bronze Timepiece — a one-time teleport straight to the isle

Quick Return

After your first visit, a flight point opens on the isle. Use it through Pandaria's flight path network.

Step 1. Get to the Timeless Isle

Use one of the methods above. At max level (80 in The War Within), all of the isle's content is trivial — mobs die in a single ability.

Step 2. Grind Reputation with Emperor Shaohao

Reputation is gained by killing Ordon yaungol and fire elementals on the Timeless Isle. In total, you need 42,000 points from Indifferent to Exalted.

Reputation farming zones (from easiest to hardest):

At level 80 all mobs die instantly, so the optimal strategy is to farm in Ordos' Sanctuary, where each kill yields the maximum points.

Quests that grant reputation (250 points each):

• The Last Emperor
• Timeless Nutriment
• The Mistweaver's Way (daily — repeatable)
• Paths of the Celestials
• Beat Back the Flames
• High Priest of the Flame

Step 3. Save Up 100,000 Timeless Coins

Timeless Coins are earned in parallel with reputation farming. Sources:

• Killing mobs — every mob on the isle drops coins. Elite mobs drop more
• Chests — scattered across the entire isle, refreshed daily. Memorize their locations and collect them on every visit
• Rare enemies — killing rares rewards hundreds of coins at once
• Daily quests — give coins as a reward
• Weekly quests — large batches of coins

While actively farming reputation, you'll most likely save up 100,000 coins before you reach Exalted.

Step 4. Buy the Mount

1. Find Mistweaver Ku on the Celestial Court (coordinates 42, 55) — he stands next to Emperor Shaohao
2. Purchase the Reins of the Heavenly Golden Cloud Serpent
3. Use the item — the mount is added to your collection permanently

Reputation Boosters

Several bonuses stack with one another and significantly cut down farming time:

• Human racial "Diplomacy" — +10% to all reputation gained. If you have a Human character, farm reputation on them
• Darkmoon Faire — ride the carousel before farming and get the "WHEE!" buff (+10% reputation for 60 minutes)
• Guild banner — plant the Battle Standard of Coordination for +15% reputation within its area of effect
• Pandaria Timewalking event — during this event you can exchange Timewarped Badges for items that directly grant Emperor Shaohao reputation

Optimal Route

1. Start at Ordos' Sanctuary in the northeast of the isle — the highest-reputation mobs are here (20–25 points)
2. Clear the entire Sanctuary, moving in a circle
3. While mobs respawn, head down to the Blazing Way (15–20 points per mob)
4. Collect the chests along the way — they give Timeless Coins
5. Return to the Sanctuary — the mobs have already respawned
6. Kill rare enemies as they appear — they're marked with stars on the minimap

How Long It Will Take

At level 80 mobs die instantly. Farming in Ordos' Sanctuary (around 20–25 reputation per mob), you'll need to kill roughly 1,700–2,100 yaungol for 42,000 reputation points. Factoring in quests and bonuses, this is achievable in 4–8 hours of pure farming, split across several sessions. Timeless Coins accumulate along the way — 100,000 coins usually pile up faster than reputation.

Important Warning

Do not use the Censer of Eternal Agony while farming reputation — under its effect you become hostile to other players, but Emperor Shaohao reputation is not awarded for killing mobs.