Jiu Li Tribe

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Jiu Li Tribe (九黎族)
Alias(es)	Nine Tribes of Jiu Li; Myriad Ancient Clan
Affiliation	The nine major Jiu Li tribes, Jiu Li Divine Hall, Jiu Li Hidden Gate
Occupation/Role	Ancient clan and major power of Lizhou
Status	Active; its Leader has returned 524 663
First Appearance	Chapter 32

Organization and Territory

• The Jiu Li Tribe consists of nine major tribes. The Cangli Tribe is its main tribe, while the Yao Li, Chili, Beast Li, Medicine Li, Artifact Li, and Shan Li tribes are among its named constituent tribes 66 124 280 661.
• Jiu Li City, the prefectural city of Lizhou, is the tribe's principal urban center. Its Dao Domain contains the Jiu Li Dao Academy, which belongs to all nine major tribes rather than any one tribe 52 661.
• The Jiu Li Divine Hall, concealed deep within the Mang Mountain Range and protected by an ancient grand formation, served as the tribe's highest authority during the thousand-year absence of its Leader. It shelters young talents during major crises 664.
• The Jiu Li Hidden Gate is the tribe's covert institution. Each year, the nine major tribes send selected youths there, but only one is expected to survive; even that survivor may become only a Hidden Servant. A true Hidden Person is selected only once every few decades 53.
• The Mang Mountain Grand Sacrifice occurs every four years. Its results determine how much Blood Sea Coffin Retrieval each tribe receives for the following four years, making it both a resource contest and a means of identifying young talent 112.

History

According to ancestral tradition, the God of Jiu Li had eighty-one children. Nine were buried around Jiu Li Divine Mountain and became the ancestors of the present nine major tribes; Cang King, eldest son of the God of Jiu Li, became the ancestor of the Cangli Tribe 66.

A thousand years before the main events, the supreme magic tool representing Jiu Li leadership disappeared. The tribes ceased to recognize a common leader, acted independently, and fell into prolonged internal strife. Their ancestral prestige sustained them for centuries, but their unity and influence steadily eroded 54.

Fourteen years before the events in Jiu Li City, six months of conflict exposed the tribe's weakness. The Sui Sect's Yang Shen Realm defeated six Jiu Li chieftains in succession at Mang Mountain, while the Chen Clan's three Grand Elders defeated the remaining leaders. The defeat cost the tribe much of the Jiu Li City Dao Domain, where the Sui Sect, Three Chen Palace, Tianyi Gate, and Coffin Sea Pavilion subsequently established themselves 54.

After this humiliation, the nine tribe leaders ended their open internal conflicts and began seeking compromise. Their recovery remained incomplete, however, as centuries of decline could not be reversed in fourteen years 87.

During the conflict surrounding the Mang Mountain Grand Sacrifice, the Four Great Sects attempted to eliminate the younger generation of the Jiu Li Tribe. Li Weiyi, the Hidden Gate's Hidden Person, fought to protect the trapped youths and enable their escape 111 112 113.

The tribe later recovered its long-lost supreme treasure, the Nine Emperor Banner, when its Leader returned. The return was regarded as the end of a thousand-year wait and a turning point for the clan 524 663.

Leadership and Notable Members

Individual	Position / Connection
Li Yuanzhe / Coffin Master	Returned Leader of the Jiu Li Tribe; formerly associated with the stone coffin and the Nine Emperor Banner 94 524 659
Li Songgu	Hidden Lord; also serves as Family Head of the Cangli Tribe 663 664
Li Min Nong	Tribe Leader of the Cangli Tribe and one of the Jiu Li Tribe's overt foremost powerhouses 523
Mo Hai	Great Priest of the Jiu Li Divine Hall 523
Cangli	Young Tribe Leader of the Cangli Tribe and a leading figure of the younger generation 46 72
Li Songlin	First Seat of the Cangli Tribe; supports and guides promising younger cultivators 52 72
Li Ling	Cangli's sister and a gifted Mind Master associated with the Cangli Tribe 43 109
Li Weiyi	Hidden Person of the Jiu Li Hidden Gate; his victories substantially restored the tribe's reputation 470 663

Resources and Heritage

Otherworldly Coffins

Otherworldly Coffin Retrieval is a crucial source of wealth for the nine major tribes. Its allocation is tied to performance at the Mang Mountain Grand Sacrifice, creating recurring competition among the tribes 112.

The Jiu Li Tribe possesses numerous high-grade treasures recovered from otherworldly coffins. Many remain sealed and cannot be accessed without the Nine Emperor Banner 665.

Nine Emperor Banner

The Nine Emperor Banner is the tribe's supreme magic tool and historical symbol of leadership. Its loss caused the collapse of centralized authority; its reappearance accompanied the Leader's return 54 524.

Martial Heritage

• The tribe possesses nine fundamental martial arts, including the Wrathful Dragon Capturing Dragon Claw Technique 188.
• The God of Jiu Li's Combat Intent can be inherited only by cultivators with sufficient talent and a compatible martial art; resonance with the intent is not guaranteed even for descendants 190.
• Ancient Jiu Li records preserve knowledge of rare medicines, including the fire-poisonous Xihe Flower and the secret methods required to refine it safely 104.

Strength and Reputation

The Jiu Li Tribe's public strength was badly diminished after the Mang Mountain defeat, and its lack of a Transcendent was once cited as the reason it became a laughingstock among Emperor-tier forces 331.

Its visible power nevertheless remained substantial. Six of the nine Tribe Leaders were in the Longevity Realm, and the tribe possessed roughly ten Longevity Realm Giants even without counting the Hidden Sect or the Saint Mind Masters of the Divine Hall 460.

The tribe's hidden strength is deliberately difficult to assess. The Jiu Li Hidden Gate, the Divine Hall's priests, ancient formations, inherited treasures, and the return of the Leader all contribute to a deeper foundation than outside factions initially perceive 60 239 659.

Li Weiyi's victories, particularly his defeat of Sheng Wulian, revived the tribe's standing. Martial Cultivators from other Life Realms began visiting Lizhou, and Jiu Li cultivators were able to associate with major clans and sects with greater confidence 663.

Relationships

• Cangli Tribe — Main tribe of Jiu Li; its leaders and younger generation frequently represent the wider clan 661.
• Jiu Li Divine Hall — Religious, defensive, and governing center of the tribe during the Leader's absence 664.
• Jiu Li Hidden Gate — Covert institution that trains Hidden Persons and provides protection, resources, and intelligence beyond the public structure of the nine tribes 53 439.
• Earth Wolf King Army — Former adversary whose allegiance was later changed through the Hidden Sect's strategy of “befriend those far away and attack those nearby” 139 173.
• Sui Sect — Major rival that defeated the Jiu Li leaders at Mang Mountain and seized part of the Jiu Li City Dao Domain 54.
• Three Chen Palace — One of the Four Great Sects established in former Jiu Li core territory after the Mang Mountain defeat 54.
• Tianyi Gate — One of the Four Great Sects occupying former Jiu Li Dao Domain interests 54.
• Coffin Sea Pavilion — A power established in former Jiu Li core territory after the tribe's decline 54.
• Coffin Mountain and the Dao Cult — Long-term enemies whose influence reached into the tribe through coerced collaborators and traitors, including Li Songjian and the Yao Li Tribe Leader 439 460.
• Xue Jian Tang Ting — Allied force that agreed to protect the Jiu Li Tribe for seven days in exchange for future assistance 214.

Internal Threats

The tribe's long decline enabled external forces to infiltrate its members and institutions. Li Songjian, eldest son of the Cangli Tribe Leader, was exposed for transporting Daoist children and salvaged otherworldly coffins to Dao Cult-connected forces over several decades 437 439.

The Yao Li Tribe Leader was also revealed to have been subdued by Coffin Mountain through the Death Spirit Fire. Li Weiyi chose to return Li Songjian's group to the Jiu Li Tribe and the Divine Hall for judgment rather than personally dictate the resolution of its internal affairs 439.

Trivia

• One-third of the Jiu Li Tribe's population lives along both banks of the Sui River, where the clan has established numerous towns over thousands of years 661.
• The Jiu Li Tribe's ancestral territory contains the tombs and peaks associated with the descendants of the God of Jiu Li 66.
• The tribe was once able to maintain the prestige of Lingxiao Shengjing's only ancient clan with millions of followers despite its decline, partly because outsiders did not know its true remaining strength 54.