Zhao Clan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Zhao Clan
Alias(es)	Zhao Family; Nanyang Zhao Clan; Rising Dragon (Xinglong) Zhao Clan; Southern Sky Zhao Clan; Divine Craftsman Zhao Clan; Ten Lands Zhao Clan
Species/Race	Human cultivation clan
Status	Active; divided into numerous main, collateral, and realm-spanning branches 351 722 923
First Appearance	3

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Nanyang martial clan	3 4	Maintained the fortified Zhao Family Fortress outside Nanyang City, with a dedicated training ground and renowned martial arts.
Dragon Carp Lake cultivation family	38	Settled at Dragon Carp Lake for nearly three centuries; the clan exceeded 50,000 people and had 31 cultivators after Zhao Xuanlan achieved Foundation Establishment.
Dragon Carp Lake peak	38	Reached over 100 cultivators, including two Foundation Establishment cultivators and more than ten late-stage Qi Refining cultivators; its influence rivaled an old Foundation Establishment family.
Xinglong / Rising Dragon consolidation	264 294	Survived the deaths of two Golden Core ancestors through Zhao Sheng’s deterrence, then reorganized around clan-wide martial training, pill refining, artifact refining, and talisman production.
Southern Sky hegemon	351 408 475	Expanded across the Sky Pillar World, produced hundreds of millions of bloodline descendants, conquered seven million li of the Myriad Kingdoms Plain, and established the Great Zhao Dynasty.
Divine Craftsman “minor immortal clan”	743 776	Its standing became dependent on Void Return-level protection; Zhao Sheng’s return revitalized the clan and drew widespread attention from other cultivation powers.
Five Thunder Dongtian settlement	804 807	The clan entered Zhao Sheng’s Five Thunder Dongtian and, over decades, established cities and settlements with a population exceeding six million.

History

Nanyang and Dragon Carp Lake

The clan’s early Nanyang base consisted of an ancestral home in Nanyang City and the Zhao Estate thirty li away. The estate was built 150 years earlier and resembled a fortress, with thick stone walls and eight five-zhang arrow towers; its southeastern training ground held weapons, stakes, and archery targets. 3 4

At Dragon Carp Lake, the First Branch descended from Zhao Chenggong, Zhao Sheng’s eldest son, while the Second Branch descended from his eighth son, Zhao Chengle. The two lines had little natural affinity and were merged only because the settlement desperately needed manpower. 38

The family later flourished after Zhao Xuanlan achieved Foundation Establishment, but the prosperity did not last. Competition for a Foundation Establishment Pill deepened the divide between the two branches, while the absence of a Foundation Establishment protector and the approaching Dragon Carp Lake lease renewal became the clan’s central crises. 38 65

Internal Conflict and Recovery

The Second Branch brought the Wei Family of Li Mountain onto Crescent Moon Island, the location of the Dragon Carp Lake Defense Array and the family’s final refuge in an extermination-level emergency. Within United Hearts Hall, the First and Second Branches openly traded accusations of embezzlement, fraud, and other misconduct. 41

Despite the division, the clan retained valuable resources and organized armed responses to external threats. Its Red Scale Armor, refined from the neck scales of 580 century-old Red Carps, was among its most treasured possessions; only four had ever been made, and two had already been sold. 53

The main branch later faced the logistical challenge of relocating nearly 3,000 direct descendants within five generations to Taiwu Mountain. 83 During the Flame Ridge operation, the clan defeated the Shen Family and secured two Spiritual Lands, though the victory came with casualties among the 32 participating clansmen. 116

Xinglong and Southern Sky Expansion

By the Xinglong era, the Zhao Clan was organized into eight lineages and had more than 300 cultivators, with over 200 attending its annual Eight Lineages Tournament. 245 After the deaths of two Golden Core ancestors destabilized the clan, Zhao Sheng fought a month-long series of challenges against neighboring forces without a defeat, earning the title “Mad Dragon” and stabilizing the clan’s reputation. 264

The clan shifted from expansion to war preparation when conflict between realms loomed. Zhao Sheng initiated “Total Clan Martial Training,” while the Xinglong Zhao Clan concentrated on mass production of pills, artifacts, and talismans. 294

Over more than a thousand years, the Southern Sky Zhao Clan expanded from Xinglong Plain into a vast power whose branches spread across the five continents and four seas of the Sky Pillar World. Its later conquest of the Myriad Kingdoms Plain created the Great Zhao Dynasty. 351 408

Fragmentation and Diaspora

The Sky Pillar Zhao Clan eventually fragmented into the Central Sect, Southern Sect, Northern Sect, Overseas Four Branches, and countless smaller offshoots. The Central Sect held Heaven Pillar Mountain and Divine Dragon Valley, while the Southern Sect centered on Rising Dragon City and allied with the Dan Ding Sect and Beast Taming Sect. 722

Several distant branches retained or rebuilt the clan’s legacy:

Branch / regional clan	Situation
Sky Turtle Zhao Clan	Established itself on Sky Turtle Island in the Outer Star Sea after Zhao Xuanji led the branch to seize the island; it became one of the region’s top hundred cultivation families. 169
Big Tree Realm Zhao Clan	Nearly exterminated a millennium earlier; Zhao Chengping survived, relocated the remnant to Simon Continent, and rebuilt it around a six-thousand-year-old Great Chun Divine Tree. 621
Cloud Mist Zhao Clan	Based in the Cloud Mist Mountains and New Zhao City; it later attracted returning scattered clansmen and rose rapidly through Zhao Sheng’s support and Zhao Menghan’s reputation-building. 727 734
Dize Branch	Settled on Mingguang Island, protected by a Fourth-Order Primordial Chaos Infinite Array; its population grew from roughly 80,000 to over 3.6 million. 929
Three Absolutes Zhao Clan	A moderate-sized Zhao clan with three public Golden Core cultivators, at least 30 Foundation Establishment cultivators, and an unconfirmed Nascent Soul ancestor. 812

Organization and Traditions

United Hearts Hall

United Hearts Hall functions as a major venue for clan deliberation and internal disputes. During the Dragon Carp Lake crisis, cultivators of the First and Second Branches occupied opposing sides of the hall, reflecting the severity of their political split. 41

Zhao Clan Dark Guard

The Dark Guard is the clan’s covert arm. By the Xinglong era, it had expanded beyond Zhao clansmen to include recruited rogue cultivators, sect traitors, demonic cultivators, and heretics. Its four Foundation Establishment leaders each commanded dozens of hidden agents. 250

• The Dark Guard is traditionally barred from interfering in ordinary family affairs. 125
• Zhao Sheng became one of its four leaders after advancing to Foundation Establishment and could relay direct orders from the clan ancestor. 250

Education and Competition

The clan established a Cultivation Academy for its younger generation, initially enrolling Zhao Xuanjing and Zhao Xuanan. Zhao Sheng served as headmaster and personally taught the clan’s Layered Talisman Art. 85 86

The Eight Lineages Tournament serves as a major internal contest, with Foundation Establishment Pills among its most valuable rewards. 245

Martial and Cultivation Legacy

The Nanyang Zhao Clan preserved the Floating Light Swordplay and Cloud Dragon Three Transformations, regarded as unmatched in Ganzhou. 35

The Layered Talisman Art became a signature Zhao Clan inheritance. Zhao Sheng demonstrated its principle by layering the Spring Breeze Rain Talisman eighteen times into a single enhanced talisman. 86

Zhao Sheng’s Barbaric Ancient Battle Body bloodline also transformed the clan’s martial path. Descendants of Qingyang Ancestor’s line developed the Martial Saint Realm through the discovery of Gale Yuan Power, allowing martial artists to rival early Golden Core cultivators. 410

Facilities and Resources

Location / asset	Significance
Zhao Family Fortress	Fortified Nanyang estate with eight arrow towers, extensive halls, and a martial training ground. 3 4
Crescent Moon Island	Core Dragon Carp Lake position, protected by a defense array and reachable by a single three-li plank road. 41
Heaven Pillar Mountain Secret Estate	A hidden clan estate used for cultivation, alchemy, and the protection of important heirs and resources. 93 127
Red Scale Armor	Spirit Artifact armor crafted from century-old Red Carp scales; the clan produced only four in nearly three centuries. 53
Five Thunder Dongtian	Zhao Sheng’s newly opened grotto-heaven, later inhabited and developed by Zhao Clan settlements. 804 807
Divine Dragon Valley	Renamed from Divine Farmer Valley after the founding of the Great Zhao Dynasty; later served as an ancestral land. 410 411

External Relations

• Wei Family of Li Mountain — Invited onto Crescent Moon Island by the Second Branch during the Dragon Carp Lake succession conflict, placing the clan’s defensive core under outside pressure. 41
• Purple Sun Sect — Allowed the Zhao Clan to renew its Dragon Carp Lake lease for another 200 years through Han Xuanwu’s mediation. 38
• He and Wei clans — Marriage-allied with the Three Absolutes Zhao Clan and jointly involved in the outer-domain pioneering effort. 822
• Mountain River Sect — Led the outer-domain pioneering expedition that the Three Absolutes Zhao Clan prepared to join. 822
• Ghost God Sect — Its destruction became associated with the Cloud Mist Zhao Clan after Ghost God Sect-style treasures began appearing in Zhao hands, strengthening the clan’s mystique and deterrence. 734

Notable Quotes

“The Zhao Clan produces a dragon!” 244

“Only mystery and the unknown can maintain the greatest deterrent force!” 734