Gao Liu City

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Gao Liu City (高柳城)
Affiliation	Qifeng Prefecture; under the protection of Lord Liu / Willow Venerate
Status	Active human city and regional stronghold 655 694
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background / History

Gao Liu City was founded approximately 120 years before the story as a refuge for humanity amid the Eerie Night. Its early builders gradually restored a rudimentary human civilization despite the surrounding darkness, Demonic Evils, and Malevolent Spirits. 1

The city’s institutions, offices, ranks, and regulations were reconstructed from surviving ancient texts. Its layout was modeled after Qifeng Prefecture City, which itself drew inspiration from ancient ruins. 26

The present Inner City was the original complete Gao Liu City. The later Outer City expansion became possible when Willow Venerate’s roots, strengthened through incense worship, extended the range of divine protection. 127 147

After earlier unrest exposed the city’s institutional shortcomings, Qifeng Prefecture stationed the Heavenly Supervision Department in Gao Liu City on a long-term basis to monitor the city and restrain abuses of power. 26

A further expansion was planned after the failure of the Little Divine Venerate initiative. The Temple of Lord Liu chose to reclaim the power of cultivated “tree seeds” for Lord Liu’s main body, allowing its roots to protect an additional sixteen wards beyond the existing city. 111

The expansion became a major source of political conflict: officials and powerful families embezzled construction materials, prompting violent investigations and a citywide Heavenly Supervision Department purge. 123 124 127

The Liu Family’s collapse later created a power vacuum in the Inner City. Sacred Land personnel entered the city, while Outer City residents were rewarded and relocated into Inner City housing as part of a broader reorganization. 247 252

Years later, Willow Venerate’s old consciousness attempted to uproot itself, causing Gao Liu City to shake, its buildings to collapse, and the ground to split. Lin Yan destroyed the remnant thoughts and prevented the city’s destruction. 654 655

Geography and Layout

Inner and Outer City

Gao Liu City is divided between a prosperous, protected Inner City and a far more vulnerable Outer City. The Inner City is the original city core, while the Outer City consists of later expansions protected by Willow Venerate’s extended roots. 119 127 147

• The Outer City southern sector alone contains twelve districts and thirty-eight tall buildings. 1
• The Lin Jiang Department guards 360 paces of southern wall and oversees Lin Jiang Ward. 16
• Lin Jiang Ward lies before Qing Shan Ward, Casting Cauldron Ward, and Nourishing Origin Ward when viewed from the southern wall. 16
• The Inner City is vast enough that a mounted traveler entering from its southern edge may still remain within its southern district after traveling most of the day. 119
• Ordinary pedestrians may require two to three days to travel from the Inner City’s edge to the Heavenly Supervision Department headquarters. 119

Important Locations

• Sky Gazing Tower — A hundred-story Inner City tower built over eighty years upon the foundation of Lord Liu’s true form. Eight divine mirrors observe the eight directions, while sixty-four registrars compile reports from across the city. 19
• Temple of Lord Liu — The city’s central religious institution, responsible for worship, incense offerings, spiritual protection, and the handling of the dead. 74 215
• Lin Jiang Ward — A southern Outer City ward and major defensive sector under the Heavenly Supervision Department. 16
• Ox Horn Mountain — A remote but still intracity mountain between Lin Jiang Ward and Qing Shan Ward; its cultivated side falls under Lin Jiang jurisdiction. 34
• Great Seal River — A major defensive frontier near the planned new city, guarded by rotating forces from the Heavenly Supervision Department, Temple Guard, and five Guard Armies. 213
• Year Gate — An entrance to ancient ruins north of Gao Liu City, guarded by the Heavenly Supervision Department and the Right City Guard Army. 180

Governance and Institutions

Prefectural Governor’s Mansion

The Prefectural Governor’s Mansion is a principal governing authority in Gao Liu City. It oversees city affairs, Guard Armies, construction policy, and major political decisions, though its officials and allied families are frequently implicated in corruption and factional struggles. 15 124 212

Heavenly Supervision Department

The Heavenly Supervision Department is tasked with monitoring Gao Liu City, preventing injustice, and preserving the balance of order between the powerful and ordinary citizens. It operates branches in both the Inner and Outer Cities. 26 120

• The Department’s headquarters stands in the Inner City. 119
• It investigates corruption, suppresses Jie Jin activity, and participates in city defense. 120 127 212
• In one emergency purge, it executed seventy-two key figures and captured more than 120 others in less than an hour. 127
• The Lin Jiang Department became a key base for the new-city expansion and its protection. 260

Temple of Lord Liu

The Temple serves Lord Liu, the divine willow entity whose roots shelter the city from the Eerie Night. It has twelve Temple Priests, some of whom are scholars rather than martial artists. 19 29

• Temple techniques are used to dispel evil, weaken demonic qi, and manage spiritual threats. 35
• The Temple oversees the purification and cremation of the dead to prevent corpses from becoming contaminated by malevolent energy. 215
• The Temple Priests bear Lord Liu’s corrupted thoughts and must eventually choose death before complete corruption overtakes them. 253

Sky Gazing Tower

The Sky Gazing Tower functions as Gao Liu City’s observation and intelligence center. Reports concerning extinguished lamps, breached walls, distress flares, and intruding Demonic Evils are recorded and compiled there. 19

Later, Miss Ling He established rules requiring the Tower to maintain impartial, factual records rather than collect leverage for private interests. 231 234

Defenses

Willow Venerate

Willow Venerate, also called Lord Liu, is Gao Liu City’s foremost protection against the darkness. Its roots define the city’s protected area and repel powerful Demonic Evils within a hundred-mile radius. 111 213

The city is physically bound to Lord Liu: because it was built upon the deity, Lord Liu could potentially destroy Gao Liu City with a single thought. 253

City Walls and Night-Illuminating Lamps

Willow Branch Night-Illuminating Lamps are placed across the walls and expansion perimeter to repel darkness and alert defenders to breaches. 16 19 122

• On Lin Jiang Department’s wall section, lamps stand every thirty paces. 16
• Inner City walls use lamps placed every two hundred paces. 125
• During the first expansion phase, lamps were to be established along the new perimeter and jointly guarded by the City Defense Army, Night Patrol Envoys, and Heavenly Supervision Department. 122

City Defense Forces

Gao Liu City relies on city guards, cavalry, Day Patrol Envoys, Night Patrol Envoys, Temple Guard forces, and Heavenly Supervision Department personnel. Martial artists are considered essential to holding the city against Demonic Evils. 30 35 311

The city’s security remains fragile. When Lord Liu slept for over a month, twelve powerful Demonic Evils appeared within a hundred miles, threatening simultaneous assault and potential annihilation. 15

Society

Inner–Outer City Divide

The Inner City is wealthy, secure, and culturally active, while Outer City residents endure poverty, labor, and the nightly danger of Demonic Evil incursions. 119 120

Inner City residents enjoy safety and luxury unavailable to the Outer City. Lin Yan notes that a decorative sword owned by a spoiled Inner City youth may be comparable to a City Defense Grand Commander’s weapon, while a single garment may cost an Outer City citizen years of labor. 120

This inequality is regarded as a major source of resentment and a factor behind defections to Jie Jin. 120

Literacy and Administration

Martial artists defend the city, but literacy is indispensable for calculation, record-keeping, correspondence, and administration. 30

• Nearly three hundred literate workers reportedly serve in the Sky Gazing Tower, most of them from the Inner City. 30
• The Governor’s Office sought to establish an Inner City academy under Duke Lu to cultivate more scholars. 29
• Outer City residents often regard literacy as impractical compared with immediate paid labor. 30

The Six Great Clans

The Inner City’s Six Great Clans trace their prestige to ancestors involved in Gao Liu City’s construction. Their inherited influence, wealth, and martial strength made them pillars of the city, but also enabled widespread corruption and political competition. 127 222

The Liu Family’s attempt to divert new-city materials to support its ancestor’s breakthrough led to its downfall and served as a warning to the remaining clans. 222

New City Expansion

The new-city project aims to extend Lord Liu’s protection, create more living space, settle refugees and craftsmen, and strengthen humanity’s position against the Eerie Night. 111 122

Phase / Development	Details
Tree-seed reclamation	The Temple decided to destroy Lord Liu’s cultivated tree seeds and return their power to the main body, enabling protection for sixteen additional wards. 111
Initial construction plan	Materials were gathered from Gao Liu City’s districts; seventy percent of the first-phase materials were reportedly ready. 122
Labor force	Young survivors from Jinliu Village, prisoners assigned to hard labor, and later thousands of admitted craftsmen were used for construction. 122 211
Corruption crisis	Officials and clans diverted or substituted building materials, delaying construction and provoking purges. 123 124 211
Post-purge administration	With major obstacles removed, Lin Jiang Department was granted broad access to personnel and expertise to complete the expansion. 260
Later progress	Criminal laborers were actively constructing the new city when Lin Yan returned months later. 334

Major Incidents

Event	Outcome
Twelve Demonic Evils crisis	City commanders prepared an altar to invoke Lord Liu’s divine power and repel twelve powerful Demonic Evils while defending against lesser entities drawn to the ritual. 15
Jiazi Taisui incident	Gao Liu City survived, but dozens of soldiers died and Deputy Commander Zhao Zhou was severely injured. 86
Nine Sanctuaries destroyed	Jie Jin destroyed nine Sanctuaries around the city in a single hour, trapping visitors and threatening to isolate Gao Liu City. 166 167
Heavenly Supervision Department purge	Seventy-two figures were executed and more than 120 captured, overturning the city’s power structure. 127
Liu Family downfall	The Liu Family’s embezzlement and its ancestor’s attempt to refine Qi into spirit led to the family’s collapse. 213 221
Demonic Evil siege	A large Demonic Evil tide attacked Gao Liu City while factions attempted to interfere with Duke Lu’s Spirit Refining. Wuchang killed several major threats, including Gao Hao. 234 238
Willow Venerate’s old consciousness	Lord Liu’s old consciousness attempted to uproot the willow body and destroy the city, but Lin Yan suppressed it. 654 655
Great Seal River–Underworld convergence	The Great Seal River merged with the Yellow Springs, and Underworld structures began overlapping Gao Liu City before Willow Venerate’s divine power forced them underground. 694