Lingyun Sect

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Lingyun Sect (凌云宗)
Type	Immortal Dao cultivation sect
Location	Originally in the Mu Kingdom’s southern snow plateau; rebuilt at the former Shangqing Sect mountain gate in the Liang Kingdom, on the eastern coast of the Qingling Region 292 294 604 644.
Occupation/Role	Originally guarded the ancient demon seal at Forbidden Speech Snow Mountain; later became the governing cultivation power of the Qingling Region 352 604.
Leadership	Documented Sect Masters include Xu Yun, Xu Xia, and Wang Sheng. Li Qing serves as an ancestor and leads the sect’s reconstruction 295 603 805 854.
Status	Destroyed by the Chi Demon Tribe and Shangqing Sect, subsequently rebuilt; eventually becomes the strongest sect in the Human Realm 387 603 1193.
First Appearance	Chapter 292 in the supplied material 292.

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Original sect: Core Formation-backed power	358 359	Sky Swallowing Ancestor and Ancestor Bingyun oversee the expedition into the damaged demon seal; Foundation Establishment elders enter in ten batches.
Reinforcement by Tianhe Sect survivors	379 381	Surviving Tianhe cultivators settle in Lingyun Sect and later help defend it.
Destruction and dispersal	383 387	The protective formation is breached. Shangqing Sect intervenes during the demon assault, and Sky Swallowing Ancestor sacrifices himself to evacuate survivors.
Reconstruction force: four Core Formation cultivators	590	Li Qing gathers a returning force stronger than the original sect’s Core Formation contingent.
Rebuilt regional overlord	603 604 610	Replaces Shangqing Sect as Qingling’s dominant power, inherits its assets, and formally re-establishes the sect.
Fourth-tier defensive capability	647	Deploys the Heavenly Origin Spirit Extermination Formation, giving the mountain gate protection against Nascent Soul-level threats.
Six Core Formation Supreme Elders	651	The rebuilt sect’s senior combat strength reaches six Core Formation cultivators.
Nascent Soul-backed regional overlord	690 692	Eliminates Carefree Sect’s leadership, recovers its industries, and grows to over ten thousand members with a Nascent Soul ancestor stationed within the sect.
Additional Nascent Soul support	805 811	Suxin forms her Nascent Soul; Nascent Soul geomancer Qiu Zhen subsequently joins and guards the Tianhe Vein.
Two interconnected major bases	811	Bidirectional teleportation arrays link the main mountain gate and Tianhe Vein, extending regional control.
Spirit Transformation-backed sect	848	Confirmation of Li Qing’s Spirit Transformation advancement attracts visitors and prospective disciples from distant regions.
Strongest sect in the Human Realm	1193	During the thousand years after Li Qing’s ascension, the sect becomes the realm’s foremost power. Later generations build Lingyun Immortal City.

History

Founding and the Demon-Guarding Mission

Lingyun Sect was founded by the powerful predecessors who suppressed the Chi Demon Tribe. Its inherited duty was to guard Forbidden Speech Snow Mountain and the ancient demons confined there. Xu Yun’s account places the ancient demon invasion 8,380 years before his explanation; the war devastated the Human Realm and shattered numerous spirit veins in Qingling 352 382.

This responsibility kept the sect withdrawn from struggles between other Immortal Dao sects. Xu Yun rejected Shangqing Sect’s alliance proposal despite its attractive terms, citing the ancestral instruction to remain detached from worldly affairs and guard the southern snow mountains 343.

Li Qing’s Admission

Li Qing entered the sect with an Ascension Token while fleeing Zhong Ya and Lü Feiyu. Wu Chong, already a Foundation Establishment elder, intervened at the mountain gate, and the pursuers withdrew under pressure from the sect’s elders and disciples 292.

Xu Yun subsequently distributed Foundation Establishment Pills and accepted Li Qing despite his complicated history with Tianhe Sect. Li Qing’s successful Foundation Establishment with Four Spiritual Roots became a powerful example for discouraged disciples, encouraging both cultivation and participation in sect missions 295 298 330.

The Seal Crisis and Destruction

After the failed alliance negotiations, Ling Ying sought to occupy Lingyun Sect with trouble in the snow plains. Crocodile Venerable damaged the Extreme Ice Demon Sealing Formation, leaving it to weaken irreversibly. Elder Wei Han initially dismissed the nearby tremors and falling temperatures as minor disturbances 343 350.

Lingyun Sect sent its Foundation Establishment elders into the Cold Wind Secret Realm to investigate. Xu Yun also hoped that resolving the ancient demon threat while Shangqing and Tianhe depleted one another would free Lingyun Sect to pursue regional supremacy 356 358 359.

The sect rescued Tianhe Sect’s surviving cultivators before the seal collapsed. When the Chi Demon Tribe attacked, those refugees joined the defense. Lingyun’s Nine Heavens Falling Cloud Formation was broken, though Sky Swallowing Ancestor’s Taotie prevented a demonic energy orb from immediately destroying the sect 379 381 382 383.

The defenders initially benefited from a prolonged battle: human cultivators could replenish themselves through spirit stones, pills, and spirit veins, whereas the demons could not replenish their demonic energy. Shangqing Sect’s Core Formation cultivators then intervened against Lingyun, overturning that advantage. Sky Swallowing Ancestor sacrificed himself to send Wu Chong and other survivors away aboard a Giant Spirit Boat 386 387.

Reconstruction

Li Qing sought help from True Lord Yue Xuan to rebuild the sect and save Ancestor Bingyun. Moon Chasing Palace’s non-interference policy prevented direct intervention, but Yue Xuan gave him a White Jade Plate capable of releasing two attacks equivalent to her own 545.

The reconstruction effort depended on finding scattered survivors and gathering allies. Liu Hanyue offered help locating former sect members; Li Qing recruited True Person Fu Xuan and later learned from Wu Chong that a few fellow disciples remained in the spiritually impoverished Nether Realm 552 564 580.

After defeating Shangqing Sect, the survivors rebuilt Lingyun Sect on its enemy’s coastal mountain gate rather than the original snow plateau. Cultivation families supplied additional labor, and recovered scriptures provided a substantial foundation for the new sect. Li Qing formally announced its re-establishment at the founding ceremony 602 603 604 610.

Regional Consolidation and Later Expansion

Carefree Sect challenged Lingyun’s supremacy under its Nascent Soul ancestor, Old Lord Xiaoyao. Unable to overcome the fourth-tier protective formation, Xiaoyao threatened to kill any Lingyun disciple who ventured outside and established Carefree Sect at Lingyun’s former southern site. Lingyun remained behind its sealed mountain gate for more than three years before eliminating Carefree Sect’s upper ranks and reclaiming its industries 678 679 688 690.

The sect later counterattacked territories occupied by demonized cultivators. Its Core Formation elders drove the enemy back, but the war cost hundreds of inner disciples and more than ten Foundation Establishment elders 769.

Expansion continued through recruitment, the Tianhe branch, and improved transport. After Li Qing’s ascension, Lingyun became the Human Realm’s strongest sect. Its later disciples completed the floating Lingyun Immortal City, which Li Qing and Suxin visited upon returning to the Human Realm 805 811 848 1193.

Territory and Facilities

Site	Function and distinguishing features
Original mountain gate	Located on a high, frozen plateau in the Mu Kingdom. Formations maintained a warm, spring-like climate inside despite the surrounding snow and extreme cold 292 294.
Former southern site	Its ruined buildings became buried beneath snow. Because the area contained a spatial node connected to the Demon Realm, ordinary rogue cultivators were forbidden to cultivate there; informed Core Formation cultivators could rent access 609 656.
Rebuilt main mountain gate	Occupies Shangqing Sect’s former coastal grounds in the Liang Kingdom. Contains clustered spiritual peaks, abundant spiritual energy, and views of the sea 604 644.
Qingyun Peak	Li Qing’s residence, named by combining his name with the sect’s name 671.
Lingyun Marketplace	Built on a second-order spirit vein. Hosts recruitment ceremonies and provides cave mansions for visiting elders 333.
Tianhe branch	Established on the Tianhe Spirit Vein. Qiu Zhen volunteers to guard it, and teleportation arrays connect it to the main base 805 811.
Lingyun Immortal City	Suspended above the sea of clouds and equipped with a high-grade Spirit Gathering Formation. Hosts the centennial Lingyun Grand Ceremony, whose entry requires at least Core Formation cultivation 1193.

• Southern spirit vein reuse: As the Tianhe branch approached capacity, the sect’s leadership decided to reactivate the high-grade spirit vein at its original southern snowfield site 848.
• Reconstructed facilities: The rebuilt complex includes the Sect Master’s Hall, Pill Cauldron Pavilion, Sect Affairs Hall, Artifact Refining Hall, and Hall of Inherited Skills 603 604.

Organization and Governance

Hierarchy

Position	Documented responsibilities or qualifications
Sect Master	Manages daily affairs, recruitment, resources, and regional policy. Li Qing considers temperament and interpersonal judgment more important than exceptional aptitude; Foundation Establishment cultivation is sufficient 648 805 854.
Ancestors / Supreme Elders	Provide senior authority and high-level combat strength. The rebuilt sect’s Core Formation Supreme Elders also possess Ascension Tokens 603 648 651.
Elders	Foundation Establishment cultivators conduct missions, oversee ceremonies, enforce rules, and recruit promising disciples 298 333 374 648.
Inner disciples	Receive enhanced treatment; exceptional recruits and Ascension Token holders can enter directly 648.
Outer disciples	Accumulate contributions and compete for advancement into the inner sect 612 648.

Policies and Discipline

• Peaceful regional rule: The rebuilt sect publicly adopts “valuing peace above all else” as its governing principle. Later leadership forbids arbitrary oppression of lower-level cultivators 609 811.
• Protection of members: Elders teach new disciples that they represent the sect’s reputation and can rely on its backing against outside threats 292 340.
• Abuse of the sect’s name: Li Qing punishes Elder Su Yue with one year in the water prison for supporting the Feng Family’s misconduct. The family is spared only after agreeing not to use Lingyun’s name for extortion again 607.
• Sect contributions: Disciples exchange contributions for resources such as magic tools and talismans; elders receive contribution rewards for recruiting exceptionally talented disciples 612 648.
• Leadership succession: Xu Xia eventually becomes Sect Master and handles daily affairs successfully. After reaching Core Formation, he retires into the Supreme Elder ranks and is succeeded by Foundation Establishment cultivator Wang Sheng 805 854.

Recruitment

Route	Requirements and benefits
Ascension Ceremony	Public competition held every five years. Earlier ceremonies use random draws without seeded contestants 335 811.
Recruitment by elders	Elders may bring promising cultivators back from their travels. Exceptional aptitude can secure direct inner-disciple status; ordinary recruits enter the outer sect 648.
Cultivation family recommendation	Closely connected families may recommend candidates with at least Three-element Spiritual Roots or notable skills such as artifact refining or alchemy 648.
Ascension Token	Grants unconditional admission, direct inner-disciple promotion, and a Foundation Establishment Pill. Each Core Formation Supreme Elder holds three to five tokens, though they rarely distribute them 648.

Documented Ceremonies

Ceremony	Outcome
Before the sect’s destruction	Li Qing and Shen Ningbing supervise a ceremony that sends forty-seven successful cultivators to the sect. The final contests select the ten strongest for Foundation Establishment Pills; three rogue cultivators die during the matches 335 336 340.
First ceremony after reconstruction	Plans call for three hundred outer disciples and twenty Foundation Establishment Pills. Over two thousand Qi Refining rogue cultivators participate; Li Yuhuan becomes the sole additional recruit beyond the planned three hundred 604 610 611.
Second ceremony after reconstruction	Attracts even greater attention than the first and contributes to increasing sect influence and numbers of Foundation Establishment elders 648.
Shi Zuming’s recruitment	Recruits a prodigy with both a Heavenly Spiritual Root and Savage Bone Battle Body. He leaves after Li Qing refuses to accept him as a personal disciple; the sect permits his departure 811.

• Exceptional spiritual roots: Heavenly and Special Spiritual Roots receive particular attention as potential future Core Formation cultivators, even outside normal competition 333.
• Inner-disciple selection: The reconstructed sect recognizes auxiliary expertise, including artifact refining and alchemy, rather than relying solely on combat or cultivation aptitude 612.

Resources and Inheritances

Cultivation Library

• Original Hall of Inherited Skills: Contains three floors. Its first floor holds first-grade methods and inheritances; the second holds second-grade inheritances and Foundation Establishment methods. Li Qing’s elder token grants access to those first two floors 301.
• Recovered scriptures: Shangqing Sect’s collection preserves roughly eighty to ninety percent of the inheritances of Qingling’s former three major sects, including multiple methods leading to Nascent Soul. These become a foundation for Lingyun’s reconstruction 603.

Economic Assets

• Inherited holdings: The rebuilt sect takes over Shangqing Sect’s spirit stone veins, spirit gold veins, secret realms, and marketplaces 604.
• Family tribute: After Carefree Sect’s defeat, cultivation families retain their industries while paying seventy percent of profits to Lingyun and keeping thirty percent 690.
• New mineral discoveries: For newly reported mines requiring sect protection, Lingyun takes no mining profits for the first three months and fifty percent thereafter 610.
• Trade access: Myriad Treasures Merchant Guild supplies scarce materials and medicines at reduced prices and offers transactions involving high-grade pills, talismans, and magic treasures 648.
• Signature product: Drunken Moon Brew is sold through Myriad Treasures Towers throughout the Human Realm and is frequently in short supply 811.
• Dragon Blood Vine: The sect possesses a thousand-year-old vine sought by the Sacred Hall Tribe for refining the Dragon Transformation Pill 652 655.
• Early reconstruction limits: Despite its territorial gains, the newly rebuilt sect has only two second-tier alchemists and struggles to allocate twenty Foundation Establishment Pills before regional revenues begin flowing 604.

Defensive Capabilities

Nine Heavens Falling Cloud Formation

• Protects the original mountain gate during the Chi Demon Tribe’s invasion.
• Initially helps repel an assault but is ultimately broken under the pressure of the demon ancestors 383.

Heavenly Origin Spirit Extermination Formation

• Fourth-tier protective formation installed around the rebuilt sect 647.
• Enables the sect to withstand Old Lord Xiaoyao’s assault with his natal treasure and two fourth-tier talismans 678.
• Requires coordinated maintenance by the Supreme Elders during major attacks 678.
• Later receives power from five spirit pearls, producing a five-colored barrier that blocks water arrows aimed at the sect’s disciples 825.

Guardian Beasts and Emergency Response

• Taotie: Sky Swallowing Ancestor’s beast swallows and detonates a demonic energy orb, preventing an immediate catastrophe during the original mountain gate’s fall 383.
• Mountain-Bearing Tortoise: Becomes Lingyun’s guardian sacred beast after signing a spirit contract with Suxin; resides in the coastal sea outside the rebuilt sect 644.
• Formation Hall: Maintains the formation eyes during emergencies 382.
• Law Enforcement Hall: Directs disciple patrols. During the demon invasion, disciples form teams of five to expel and purify demonic energy leaking into the sect 382.
• Giant Spirit Boat: Provides large-scale transport for elders and later carries survivors away during the sect’s destruction 358 387.

Notable Members

• Li Qing — Joins through an Ascension Token, becomes an Artifact Refining Elder, and later leads the sect’s revenge, reconstruction, and regional governance 292 335 603 610.
• Xu Yun — Original Sect Master; cultivates to False Core through sect contributions and medicinal support, and commands the response to the demon crisis 295 382 648.
• Sky Swallowing Ancestor — Core Formation ancestor who sacrifices himself to evacuate Wu Chong and other survivors 358 387.
• Ancestor Bingyun — Oversees the damaged seal expedition and fights during the Chi Demon Tribe’s invasion 358 359 387.
• Ancestor Ziqing — Protects Tianhe Sect’s fleeing survivors, fights the invaders, and later participates in the rebuilt sect’s leadership 379 387 603 644.
• Wu Chong — Li Qing’s longtime ally; helps him enter the sect, survives its destruction, and becomes a senior figure in the reconstruction 292 580 603.
• Shen Ningbing — Ice Spiritual Root cultivator, expedition elder, and central companion in the reconstruction effort 333 358 545 603.
• Suxin — Arrives with Tianhe Sect’s survivors, later returns at peak Core Formation, and subsequently becomes a Nascent Soul cultivator supporting Lingyun’s position 379 644 805.
• True Person Fu Xuan — Talisman specialist recruited on the promise that sect affairs will not disturb him. Dies after backlash from forcibly drawing a fourth-grade talisman 564 831.
• Xu Xia — Selected for his organizational judgment, becomes Sect Master, and later retires as a Core Formation Supreme Elder 648 652 805 854.
• Wang Sheng — Foundation Establishment cultivator who succeeds Xu Xia after extensive character testing 854.
• Qiu Zhen — Nascent Soul geomancer who joins at his master’s instruction, offers Feng Shui and divination teachings, and guards the Tianhe Vein 811.
• Li Yuhuan — Lightning Spiritual Root disciple accepted by Li Qing as a registered disciple; later adds another Core Formation Supreme Elder to the sect 611 812.

External Relationships

• Tianhe Sect — Initially a neighboring major sect. Lingyun rescues and shelters its surviving cultivators, who help defend their new refuge; the Tianhe Spirit Vein later becomes a Lingyun branch base 374 379 383 805.
• Shangqing Sect — Seeks Lingyun’s neutrality, then intervenes alongside the ancient demons to destroy it. Li Qing’s returning force defeats Shangqing, and Lingyun inherits its mountain gate and assets 343 387 596 603 604.
• Chi Demon Tribe — Ancient enemy suppressed by Lingyun’s founders. Its release triggers the original sect’s destruction 352 382 387.
• Moon Chasing Palace — Its neutrality prevents direct intervention in Lingyun’s downfall. Yue Xuan gives Li Qing a defensive treasure, while Liu Hanyue assists the restoration effort; Li Qing pledges lasting friendship between the organizations 545 552 602.
• Myriad Treasures Merchant Guild — Commercial partner that reopens towers across Qingling, supplies discounted resources, and distributes Lingyun’s Drunken Moon Brew 648 811.
• Carefree Sect — Invades Qingling, blockades Lingyun, and seizes its former holdings. Lingyun later destroys its leadership and recovers the occupied assets 678 679 690.
• Sacred Hall Tribe — Grassland power interested in acquiring Lingyun’s Dragon Blood Vine for a Nascent Soul breakthrough pill 652 655.
• Qingling cultivation families — Supply labor, tribute, recruits, and regional administrative support. Some were originally founded by Lingyun Supreme Elders 330 603 610 648.

Notable Quotes

“Remember one thing: now that you have become disciples of the Lingyun Sect, no one can bully you!”
— Elder Chen, addressing newly admitted disciples 292

“No matter what dangers you encounter outside, remember, you have a powerful sect behind you!”
— Li Qing, welcoming recruits at the mountain gate 340