Great Zhou

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Great Zhou
Alias(es)	Great Zhou Empire
Type	Human empire
Capital	Luoyi, built on the Dragon Roaming Plain
Founding Ruler	Founding Ancestor Ji Bang
Ruling House	Ji imperial clan
Government	Emperor and nobility jointly govern; the Ancestral God Hall acts as an independent political counterweight
Status	Extant; undergoing a new succession after the deaths of Ji Bang and Founding Empress Lu Man Ge 3485 3490
First Appearance	Chapter 1274, “Heavenly Patrol Division”

History

Founding and expansion

Ji Bang founded Great Zhou after leading powerful generals into the Archaic Dragon Domain, killing more than ten thousand Archaic Dragons. Their bodies and dragon souls were transformed into dragon-shaped earth meridians beneath the Dragon Roaming Plain, where Luoyi was established as the imperial capital 1284.

Under Ji Bang, Great Zhou unified the human race, drove the Dragon Race back into the Four Seas, expelled the Demon Race from the Primordial Era, and began campaigns into the Myriad Worlds. Its conquest of rival races created the conditions for humanity to become the dominant force of the Primordial Era 3447.

Benevolent Sovereign Ji Long's reign

During Benevolent Sovereign Ji Long's reign, Great Zhou remained vast but suffered from entrenched factional conflict among the emperor, Princes of Consultation, nobles, and military leaders. Internal competition persisted even during external crises, weakening the empire's ability to expand or respond decisively 1586 2976.

The collapse of the Human-Demon Battlefield defense line exposed these weaknesses. Great Zhou faced simultaneous Demon Race offensives across Chongzhou, Luzhou, and Huzhou, while Prince Li Ji Yuan's army and the Zhendong Army failed to cooperate despite both being elite forces 2851.

Succession crisis and fragmentation

Ji Long was assassinated during a sacrificial rite. His death caused the Nation-Suppressing Qiankun Seal and Myriad Spirits Manifestation Mirror to appear over Luoyi, awaiting a legitimate successor 2981.

Crown Prince Ji Ao was enthroned before Ji Long's funeral, but Princes Li, Ning, and He challenged his legitimacy. Their proclamations, territorial expansion, and troop mobilization fragmented Great Zhou; nearly half of its 108 prefectures were lost to separatist princes and foreign races 2982.

Ji Bang's return and restoration

Ji Bang later possessed Emperor Ji Ao and reasserted control over Luoyi. He awakened sealed founding-era generals, including Huang Jian, and placed old ancestors in command of the Imperial Guard and Secret Supervisorate 3270 3275.

With founding officials such as Yu Zhongwen and Wang Meng directing the court, Great Zhou purged opponents, reorganized offices, and resumed major campaigns against the Demon Race. The empire won its decisive battle at Great Long Mountain, though at severe cost in troops, spiritual treasures, and senior personnel 3315 3375.

Deification crisis

Great Zhou entered the Nine Heavens to contest the Investiture of the Gods Scroll. Ji Bang declared that the Great Zhou Emperor would become both Human Emperor and Divine Emperor, ruling humans and gods alike 3447.

The empire assembled one thousand Creation Realm experts, ten thousand Dao Realm experts, one hundred thousand World King Realm elites, and five hundred thousand Central Imperial Guards to secure the Gazing Cloud Platform 3447. Its attempt to draw the Investiture of the Gods Scroll into the Deification Altar relied on national destiny and the collective Human Emperor Qi of three thousand civil and military officials 3451 3452.

The campaign ended in disaster: Founding Chancellor Wang Meng was slain, Ji Bang withdrew to Luoyi, and Great Zhou's forces sustained extensive casualties 3472.

Later succession

Founding Empress Lu Man Ge killed Ji Bang and then took her own life. Ji Bang's decree named Ji Bin as the next emperor and appointed the former Princess Changle as Princess Regent and Grand Priest of the Ancestral God Hall 3485.

Ye Zhen's status as a Dao Ancestor, Duke of the State, and former Eastern Expeditionary Army Grand Marshal makes him a stabilizing force during the imperial transition 3490.

Government and administration

Institution	Role
Emperor	Holds the throne, commands the national treasures, and serves as the central source of imperial legitimacy.
Ji imperial clan	Includes the emperor, princes, and Princes of Consultation; its members can wield major political and military influence.
Nobility	Shares governance with the emperor and controls extensive land, wealth, offices, and private forces. Dukes and Princes may attend court even without official posts 2211 3444.
Ancestral God Hall	An independent religious and military institution that restrains imperial power; its priests accompany Great Zhou armies and provide military secret arts 2098 2976.
Heavenly Patrol Division	Conducts intelligence work, patrols the realm, creates geographical spirit maps, and investigates officials and nobles 1637 2860.
Secret Supervisorate	Handles secret surveillance and internal security; Yu He later assumes control over it after the old ancestors reappear 3275.

Noble hierarchy

Rank group	Ranks	Political position
Lower Nobles	Baron, Viscount	The most common titles; regarded as comparatively minor within the noble system.
Middle Nobles	Count, Marquis	Possess status but generally cannot enter the empire's highest decision-making circles.
Upper Nobles	Duke, Prince	Participate in politics and governance; form the empire's true ruling class alongside the imperial family.

The rarity of Dukes underscores their status: Ye Zhen was only the eighth person enfeoffed as a Duke in nearly ten thousand years 2211.

Capital

Luoyi

Luoyi is the imperial capital and political heart of Great Zhou. It stands on the Dragon Roaming Plain, a vast graveyard of the Archaic Dragon Clan whose buried bodies and souls were converted into earth meridians during the empire's founding 1284.

The city is prosperous, spiritually rich, and heavily defended. Its gates employ clones of the Myriad Spirits Manifestation Mirror to reveal the true form and bloodline of those entering or leaving 1285 1736.

Dragon Roaming Plain

• Contains the remains and dragon souls of thousands of Archaic Dragons slain by Ji Bang. 1284
• Supports Luoyi through vast dragon-shaped earth meridians. 1284
• Houses the Primordial Earthly Human Dao Great Formation, which uses dragon remains, human belief, and spiritual treasures to stabilize Great Zhou's national destiny. 2493
• Remains a strategic and symbolic center of imperial authority. 3305

National treasures

Treasure	Function
Nation-Suppressing Qiankun Seal	A black-jade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure that suppresses Great Zhou's national destiny and symbolizes supreme imperial authority. It responds to succession and can only be fully controlled by the rightful emperor 1317 1736 2981.
Myriad Spirits Manifestation Mirror	A Xiantian Spiritual Treasure whose public gate mirrors expose true forms and bloodlines. Its original body can monitor mountains, rivers, and earth-meridian changes throughout Great Zhou 1736.
Nation-Stabilizing Dragon Sparrow Saber	The third national treasure, later wielded by the Great Zhou Ancestral God's true form in major battles against Demon Race Divine Kings and Primordial Demon Gods 3359 3360.

The three national treasures are tied to imperial legitimacy. After Ji Long's death, the Qiankun Seal and Myriad Spirits Manifestation Mirror visibly awaited a new ruler before accepting Ji Ao 2981 2982.

Military

Organization

Great Zhou maintains a layered military system comprising permanent central legions, border armies, local garrisons, noble forces, and Imperial Guards.

• Central Guard Legions and Four Spirits Guardian Legions — the highest-ranking armies, loyal directly to the emperor and prioritized for new equipment. 2320
• Sixteen main combat legions — mobile Ministry of War forces divided among four directional categories; they form the core of Great Zhou's conventional military strength. 2566
• Border troops — numerous permanent forces stationed beyond the empire's territories; experienced but unevenly equipped. 2320
• Central Imperial Guard — protects Luoyi and can be deployed to secure the capital during crises. 2982 3485
• Local garrisons — defend commanderies and counties, supported by city formations, crossbows, and defensive weaponry. 2582

Military law and merit

Military achievement is central to Great Zhou's social order. Kills against recognized enemies are verified and converted into merit, promotions, titles, and rewards 1283.

The Grand Governor holds supreme military authority within a jurisdiction. Officers must obey their orders unconditionally, and the Imperial Sword can authorize a Grand Governor to execute anyone below princely rank 2515.

Ancestral God Hall support

Ancestral God Hall priests accompany Great Zhou armies and employ secret arts that can accelerate marches, strengthen troops, improve defenses, and provide other battlefield advantages 2098.

During the Blood River crisis, thirty thousand Earth Spirit Hall priests and three hundred Dao Realm Sun Priests erected Bloodlight Fortress in one hour, expanding Blood River Military City's defenses by more than fifty percent within hours 2320.

Society and values

• Martial prowess and military merit are Great Zhou's foremost social priorities, followed by loyalty and filial piety. 1292
• Ennoblement is a major aspiration for Great Zhou citizens; military titles provide wealth, status, and a route into the ruling class. 2211
• Nobles maintain private armies within legal limits, though the movement of forces larger than one thousand troops must be reported or may be treated as rebellion. 2811
• Foreign races outside Great Zhou's subjects are often treated as inferior or hostile, and military campaigns against them are broadly celebrated. 1481
• Resistance against the Demon Race is a core political and cultural principle. Compromise with the Demon Race is treated as unacceptable by soldiers, nobles, and the public alike. 2336 2453

Relationships

• Ji imperial clan — Great Zhou's ruling house; its internal succession struggles repeatedly destabilize the empire. 1736 2982
• Ancestral God Hall — religious-military partner and independent counterweight to imperial authority; provides priests, Sacred Priests, formations, and the Great Zhou Ancestral God's power. 2098 2976 3359
• Heavenly Patrol Division — intelligence and enforcement body responsible for patrols, spirit maps, and political surveillance. 1637 1939
• Heavenly Temple — nominally recognizes Great Zhou but frequently competes with it for influence and has pressured the court over Ye Zhen and other political disputes. 1420 1692
• Demon Race — Great Zhou's principal external enemy; their invasion triggered the Human-Demon Battlefield crisis and later large-scale national war. 2851 3091
• Four Seas Dragon Court — historic adversary defeated during Great Zhou's expansion; its Dragon Race dead were used to reinforce Luoyi and suppress national destiny. 2676
• Ye Zhen — leading general, Duke of North Sea, and later Dao Ancestor whose victories repeatedly protect Great Zhou and whose strength helps stabilize its final succession. 2878 3490

Trivia

• Great Zhou has a recorded total of 108 prefectures. 2878
• Great Zhou reveres black, reflected in the black spiritual jade used for the Qiankun Seal. 1317
• Luoyi's prosperity is reserved unequally; its spiritual resources and noble luxuries sharply contrast with ordinary guards and common residents. 1285
• Great Zhou's territorial scale is so vast that the Zhenhai Army once required more than half a year to travel to the Human-Demon Battlefield. 2582