Heavenly Xuan Sect

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Heavenly Xuan Sect
Original Name	天玄宗
Type	Immortal cultivation sect
Affiliation	Great Li Kingdom
Occupation/Role	Cultivation sect; later a major military and political power supporting the Great Li Kingdom
Status	Active; the foremost sect in the Great Li Kingdom after the destruction of the Spirit Sword Sect and Icefire Sect 250
First Appearance	Chapter 36 36

Organization

Category	Details
Location	Eastern Great Li Kingdom, within Cloud Province, whose eastern territory contains fourteen cities 168
Founding	Formed roughly 300 years earlier by disciples and elders who broke away from three major sects after the campaign against the Nine Nether Corpse Puppet Sect; they used the latter's resources to establish their own faction 46 95
Early recorded population	Nearly 10,000 servants, 8,000–9,000 miscellaneous disciples, 3,000 Outer Sect disciples, 800 Inner Sect disciples, and nearly 100 direct disciples 71
Peak structure	Fourteen Outer Sect peaks and seven Inner Sect peaks; Moon Slaying Peak exists outside this standard structure 105 228
Former sect hall	Qingtian Peak’s main hall was renamed Heavenly Xuan Hall after the reforms, as “Qingtian” was considered overly arrogant 231
Defenses	The Inner Sect has a protective formation; a later Level 3 sect formation could withstand attacks below the Nascent Soul stage 71 243

Leadership

• Xue Qingtian — Former Sect Leader. His pursuit of the Nine Nether Corpse Puppet Sect’s secrets and eventual attempt to seize Xue Hanzhou’s body drove the sect into crisis 97 196.
• Feng Daoling — Initially appointed acting Sect Leader by Xue Qingtian; he later led the sect’s internal reforms and serves as Sect Master after its rise to dominance 205 230 250.
• Huang Xuanji — Senior cultivator who reached Nascent Soul stage, decisively shifting the sect’s position in the Great Li Kingdom 249 250.
• Shen Fan — Feng Daoling’s personal disciple, later recognized as the sect’s true senior disciple and Holy Son; he led reforms, reclaimed spirit mines, and commanded major battles 240 250.

Disciple Hierarchy

• Servants and miscellaneous disciples occupy the lowest levels of the sect hierarchy.
• Outer Sect disciples may visit the Inner Sect under supervision and receive one-on-one guidance from Inner Sect disciples during organized visits 71.
• Inner Sect disciples have access to higher-grade cultivation methods, stronger spells, and specialized peak resources 71.
• Direct disciples are the smallest recorded group and hold the highest ordinary disciple standing 71.
• The Holy Son is a prominent sect title; Xue Hanzhou was publicly named Holy Son before Shen Fan later occupied the Holy Son’s seat 85 250.

History

Founding and early legacy

The sect arose from the remains of the campaign against the Nine Nether Corpse Puppet Sect. Rather than return to their original sects, participating disciples and elders remained behind, appropriated local resources, and founded the Heavenly Xuan Sect approximately three centuries before the present story 46 95.

This origin left it distrusted by the Spirit Sword Sect, Icefire Sect, and Spring Farmer Valley. Their shared conclusion was that the founders had uncovered a secret connected to the Nine Nether Corpse Puppet Sect and abandoned their former loyalties to claim it 95.

The Xue Qingtian era

Under Xue Qingtian, the sect presented itself as a righteous immortal sect while concealing severe internal abuses. The Elixir Forging Peak refined people into pills and extracted blood spirits, while later revelations described disciples being killed for souls, flesh, blood, and bones used in pills, spirit herbs, and artifacts 40 105.

The sect’s operations were further destabilized by Xue Jin’s return, Mu Xingtian’s death, and the disastrous Icefire Sect missions. More than 300 life tokens shattered after Jia Chengxin and his expedition were ambushed and annihilated 80 94.

Xue Qingtian’s so-called Demon Extinction Decree was ultimately revealed as a pretext to enter the territories of the other major sects and search for keys connected to the sealed Corpse King 97.

Internal collapse

The sect’s reputation deteriorated after disciples led by Li Shaobai massacred civilians in Yaluo City. Prince Zhennan publicly confronted Xue Qingtian with an Image-Recording Stone and forced the sect to accept responsibility, compensate the Great Li Kingdom, suppress rebellion, bury the dead, and cede two spirit mines 176 179.

Xue Qingtian later attempted to take over the body of his son, Xue Hanzhou, leaving father and son trapped in one body 192 196. During the ensuing power struggle, Xue Qingtian’s body was destroyed, and he transferred authority to Feng Daoling before retreating as a soul 205. Shen Fan subsequently absorbed Xue Qingtian’s power, ending his influence over the sect 214.

Reform under Feng Daoling

Feng Daoling and Shen Fan exposed elders who had colluded with demonic sects and secretly harbored Corpse Puppets 211 230. Shen Fan forced corrupt elders from office, promoted capable disciples into administrative positions, and appointed Ji Shaode as Grand Elder 229.

When Wan Chaofeng and the remaining elders resisted, they were defeated. Huang Xuanji destroyed the Nine Palaces Black Banner containing Wan Chaofeng, ending the organized resistance to reform 231.

The reforms also replaced the sect’s old leadership structure with administrators chosen for competence rather than seniority, while late Foundation Establishment guards protected the newly appointed elders 229 231.

Rise to dominance

After reclaiming Goldlight Peak and confronting the Spirit Sword Sect, the Heavenly Xuan Sect prepared for Huang Xuanji’s Nascent Soul breakthrough. It abandoned its external businesses and spirit mines temporarily, fortified the sect, and activated the Nascent Soul Plan 243.

The Spirit Sword Sect and Icefire Sect responded with a combined force of more than 10,000 cultivators and breached the outer formation, but the Heavenly Xuan Sect withdrew to stronger Inner Sect defenses and continued resisting 245.

Huang Xuanji successfully reached Nascent Soul stage. He then ordered the annihilation of the Spirit Sword Sect and Icefire Sect 249. One year later, the Heavenly Xuan Sect had become the leading sect of the Great Li Kingdom; Spring Farmer Valley had fled the kingdom, the rebel army had been crushed, and the Dark Yin Succubus Sect had retreated to the Jiang Kingdom 250.

Practices and Facilities

Cultivation education

• Dao Exchange Day is a sect-wide study event where Inner Sect elders guide Outer Sect disciples and Outer Sect elders guide miscellaneous disciples 41.
• The Scripture Pavilion contains cultivation methods ranging through Xuan- and Earth-ranked techniques, along with third- and fourth-order spells 71.
• Specialized peaks include Beast Taming Peak, known for powerful controlled demonic beasts, and Talisman Peak, whose talismans are highly valuable 71.
• The Inner Sect provides guided visits to encourage Outer Sect disciples to advance 71.

Documented abuses

• Elixir Forging Peak was exposed for refining people into pills and extracting blood spirits 40.
• Sect leaders used souls for elixirs, flesh and blood for spirit herbs, and bones for magical artifacts 105.
• Mu Xingtian taught the Blood Spirit Unification Art to multiple low-ranking disciples and treated them as expendable materials for cultivation 41 190.
• During retreats, wealthier disciples fled on flying artifacts while poorer disciples were abandoned, helping inspire Shen Fan’s plans to organize and protect disadvantaged disciples 81.

Factions

• Frostwind Society — Founded by Holy Son Xue Hanzhou and backed by Xue Qingtian. It controlled profitable external businesses, including spirit mines, artifact and elixir trade, guarding, transport, and security 104.
• Moon Slaying Peak — An unusual faction outside the standard fourteen Outer Sect and seven Inner Sect peak system. Its members included outsiders and former members of the other major sects who opposed Xue Qingtian and sought to suppress the Corpse King 105.
• Debt Collection Squad — Shen Fan’s later force for reclaiming spirit mines and enforcing the sect’s interests. It numbered more than 500 members by the time it deployed to aid the Great Li Kingdom 231 250.
• Law Enforcement Hall — Reorganized after Mu Jiaxing disappeared; its personnel were selected directly by Shen Fan during the internal purge 244.

Relationships

• Great Li Kingdom — Allied power. The sect was compelled to answer for its disciples’ massacre of civilians, then later became a principal military supporter of the kingdom against the Jiang Kingdom and Cloud Dragon Dynasty 179 250.
• Spirit Sword Sect — Formerly connected through the Heavenly Xuan Sect’s founding generation; later a bitter rival over spirit mines, influence, and historical betrayals. It was annihilated after Huang Xuanji’s breakthrough 95 249 250.
• Icefire Sect — Another sect tied to the Heavenly Xuan Sect’s origins. Relations were marked by disputes over spies, secret-realm access, Icefire Marrow, and territorial incursions before its eventual annihilation 78 95 249.
• Nine Nether Corpse Puppet Sect — The sect was founded on territory formerly belonging to this sect and benefited from its resources. The Corpse King regarded the Heavenly Xuan Sect as an occupying force 46 98.
• Blood Refinement Sect — Initially an enemy during the Demon Extinction campaigns; Shen Fan later arranged a temporary strategic understanding during Huang Xuanji’s breakthrough 86 244.
• Spring Farmer Valley — One of the other major sects connected to the Heavenly Xuan Sect’s founding history; it later fled the Great Li Kingdom under Huang Xuanji’s pressure 95 250.

Notable Events

Event	Outcome
Icefire Sect mission disaster	More than 300 sect members, including Inner Sect Elder Jia Chengxin, were killed in an ambush 94.
Yaluo City massacre exposure	The Great Li Kingdom forced the sect to accept accountability for its disciples’ slaughter of civilians 176 179.
Xue Qingtian succession crisis	Xue Qingtian’s attempted possession of Xue Hanzhou triggered internal collapse and ultimately ended with Xue Qingtian’s power being absorbed by Shen Fan 196 205 214.
Elder purge	Feng Daoling, Shen Fan, and Huang Xuanji removed and killed corrupt elders led by Wan Chaofeng 230 231.
Nascent Soul Plan	The sect sacrificed external holdings to defend Huang Xuanji’s breakthrough under layered formations 243.
Great sect war	The Spirit Sword Sect and Icefire Sect besieged the sect with over 10,000 cultivators; Huang Xuanji’s breakthrough reversed the conflict 245 249.
Dominance of Great Li Kingdom	The sect became the kingdom’s foremost cultivation power and supplied forces for the border war against the Jiang Kingdom and Cloud Dragon Dynasty 250.