Great Flame

Biodata

Territory and Administration

• Administrative hierarchy: The thirteen provinces are divided into prefectures, commanderies, and counties under a graded system of government 116.
• Yan Province: The dynasty's central, richest region and strongest martial heartland. Imperial institutions dominate here rather than independent martial sects 137.
• Qing Province: Home to the True Martial Sect. Its governor's endorsement was required for the rebuilt sect to receive official recognition 6.
• Liang Province: Northern frontier territory threatened by the Beast Emperor's invasion; Zhenbei Heroic Pass is a major defensive position 184 185.
• Dead Fire Abyss: Located between Qing Province and Chu Province; the site of a Demonic Sect branch targeted by an imperial campaign 83.
• Ten Thousand Flames Cave: The Demonic Sect's concealed headquarters lies at the junction of far western Liang Province and the desert. Its secrecy is an important reason the sect survives repeated imperial suppression 162 168.
• Later geographical framework: Twenty years after Ning Qi transmits the Immortal Path, the expanded True Martial World is divided into Nine Provinces containing numerous dynasties. This later world division is distinct from Great Flame's original thirteen-province administration 240.

Borders

Government and Institutions

Imperial Authority

• Emperor and Martial Saint: Although ordinary people regard the emperor as supreme, he is effectively an executor of the Martial Saint's authority. A few senior figures within the court can address the emperor as equals 152.
• Oversight of sects: Martial sects generally depend on imperial authorization. Rebuilding the True Martial Sect required both securing its foundation and obtaining government approval 6.
• Public order: Imperial deterrence discourages martial artists from harming ordinary people during their conflicts. Ning Qi observes that the population remains relatively settled and prosperous despite growing unrest 116.
• Military recruitment and training: Court institutions and widespread Martial Arts Academies cultivate martial artists in Yan Province, while the armies continually recruit there 137.
• Imperial Ancestral Temple: Houses the Martial Saint's secluded forbidden land. Visible imperial guards are supplemented by stronger protectors concealed nearby 152.
• Martial Saint Decree: A decree issued in the Martial Saint's name can compel martial artists to participate in imperial military operations. Old Ancestor Wang invokes one to mobilize those above the Core Formation Realm against the Demonic Sect 83.
• Rewards for service: General Shenyu promises to report successful service to the emperor and obtain rewards for those participating in the Dead Fire Abyss campaign 87.
• Limits of access to cultivation: Despite the dynasty's immense population and martial institutions, many ordinary people have no opportunity to begin martial cultivation because subsistence consumes their efforts. Ning Qi reflects on this inequality before Spirituality Revival 202.

Notable Figures

Heaven-Human Ranking

• Publisher: The Imperial Heaven Bureau issues the Great Flame Heaven-Human Ranking, the court's only ranking of powerful experts 119 152.
• Size and standing: Contains thirty-six places. Its members stand near the pinnacle of Great Flame's martial world and can readily suppress ordinary Heaven-Human cultivators 60.
• Schedule and criteria: Normally updated every three years and judged chiefly through recorded battle achievements 119 137.
• Authority: Inclusion brings worldwide recognition. Its credibility is reinforced by placing Listening Wind Old Man above the court's own Flame Martial Great General 119.
• Limitations: Demonic Sect experts are excluded, and unrecorded reclusive cultivators can also be absent 91.
• Notable revisions: Heavenly Sword Real Person enters at thirty-sixth, then rises to third; Blade Demon is placed fourth in the later revision 119 152.

Li Clan Immortal Family

• Foundation: True Person Yanwu establishes the family in the year after Ning Qi passes down the Immortal Path, alongside the establishment of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect and Tianshan Sect 240.
• Dynastic support: The family relies on Great Yan, which is described as the most prosperous dynasty in this later era 240.
• Membership: Li Clan disciples form its core, but exceptionally performing outsiders can also receive cultivation support after joining 240.
• Standing: Twenty years after the transmission of the Immortal Path, it is counted among the Eight Great Immortal Sects and, together with the Ten Thousand Demons Sect and Tianshan Sect, among the three with the deepest foundations 240.

History

Founding and Survival

Great Flame replaced Great Yu and was founded single-handedly by the Great Yan Martial Saint. By Ning Qi's childhood, it has endured for approximately two thousand years—longer than any other dynasty in recorded history 6 181.

Its survival has not been peaceful. According to Ye Qinghe, a Martial Saint has appeared whenever upheaval threatened to destroy the dynasty. Early accounts disagree over whether the founder remains alive through a secret method or whether successive imperial Martial Saints inherit his role 6.

During Ning Qi's early childhood, Ye Qinghe reports Demonic Sect activity throughout Qing Province, ambiguous behavior among martial sects, and unrest along the borders. Only about a century has passed since the dynasty's Martial Saint last intervened, leading her to suspect that its opponents discovered clues during that intervention and are probing its condition again 7.

Conflict with the Demonic Sect

Old Ancestor Wang uses Dragon Mountain Daoist's Celestial Being Ceremony to assemble a force for the court. Bearing the Martial Saint Decree, he orders everyone above the Core Formation Realm to reinforce an expedition against the Demonic Sect's Dead Fire Abyss branch 83.

The resulting struggle escalates into heavy losses. The court counts four Heaven-Human casualties on each side and regards the Wang Clan's extermination as an additional defeat. A tacit truce follows, partly because the Demonic Sect remains wary of provoking the Martial Saint 100 101.

The court subsequently promises support against both the Demonic Sect and Southern Border, including stationing General Shenyu near the True Martial Sect. As the Demonic Sect loses ground, some martial sects begin fearing that the removal of this rival will allow harsher imperial control 142 172.

After destroying the Demonic Sect headquarters, Ning Qi passes intelligence on its branches to the Imperial Court. The Flame Martial Great General orders the court to exploit the opportunity to eradicate the organization permanently. Although the destruction of its headquarters is welcome, the unknown force responsible also troubles him as another power beyond imperial control 167 168.

The True Martial Sect quietly cooperates with the subsequent purge without publicly acknowledging its role in the headquarters' destruction. Progress remains gradual because the Demonic Sect's lower branches are deeply embedded throughout Great Yan 168 172.

Northern Invasion and the Forefather's Return

The Beast Emperor's return exposes the dynasty's dependence on its Martial Saint. He suppresses a million troops, demands an explanation for his people's expulsion onto the grasslands, and threatens the northern frontier while Saint Yan remains absent 183 184.

At the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the emperor and senior imperial figures plead for intervention. The forefather summons Li Yanwu and reveals that his current body is failing. He previously used Li Yanwu's father's body and had promised not to take Li Yanwu's; the commander nevertheless willingly offers himself to preserve Great Flame 184.

The court also seeks assistance from True Mystery Mountain, but is told that True Mystery True Lord has left to travel. With no available defender capable of resisting the Beast Emperor, the imperial leadership continues appealing to its forefather 184.

At Zhenbei Heroic Pass, General Shenyu acts after receiving a secret letter from the imperial capital. His killing of provocative Northern Barbarian cavalrymen triggers a wider battle, during which Treasure Tree Buddha attempts to crush the Great Flame forces 185.

Saint Yan then appears on the Liang Province battlefield in Li Yanwu's body. He overpowers the Beast Emperor and Treasure Tree Buddha, orders the Northern Barbarians out, and demands the surrender of as many soldiers as Great Flame has lost 185.

Territorial Concessions and Spirituality Revival

Despite his victory, Saint Yan accepts that the returning Ancient Saints will reshape the political order. He grants territory to Crimson Sun Martial Saint and Black Marsh Martial Saint in exchange for peace. As more Ancient Saints establish domains, martial sects begin transferring their allegiance to them 185 196.

The court also recognizes the True Martial Sect's territorial standing. Acting for the Martial Saint, the North Suppressing King grants land around True Martial Mountain, including additional territory offered as a gesture of goodwill 201.

Before Spirituality Revival, Great Flame organizes a mass relocation into cities, using provincial centers supported by prefectural and county cities. Its experts suppress factions exploiting the evacuation to seize resources, though repeated disturbances continue 202.

Armies and powerful experts are stationed in the cities to protect the relocated population from the anticipated transformation of the earth veins. The authorities attempt to move everyone they can, but those who cannot be relocated or refuse to leave are left to fend for themselves 202.

Martial World Crisis

At the Martial Saint Convention, the Great Yan Martial Saint remains among the defenders of the Martial World. Heaven Chopping Martial Saint reveals his betrayal and attacks him; Ning Qi subsequently directs Li Yanwu to fight the other enemies while confronting the principal traitors himself 225.

After Ning Qi frees the bound World Will, Saint Yan advises withdrawing until its indiscriminate attacks subside. Ning Qi instead offers to attempt to calm it 227.

Saint Yan subsequently witnesses Ning Qi counter the world's manifestations with multiple Daos. Although himself a peerless fire specialist, he acknowledges his inferiority upon seeing Ning Qi casually refine the descending heavenly-fire crimson lotuses 228.

Immortal Path Era

Great Yan survives into the era following Ning Qi's transmission of the Immortal Path. In the following year, True Person Yanwu establishes the Li Clan Immortal Family, which relies on the dynasty's prosperity and resources 240.

Over the next twenty years, the True Martial World experiences rapid growth in both population and cultivators. The old Heaven-Human and Martial Saint realms become things of the past, numerous dynasties flourish across the world's Nine Provinces, and eight major Immortal Sects emerge. Within this new order, Great Yan is described as the most prosperous dynasty, while the Li Clan Immortal Family ranks among the three Immortal Sects with the deepest foundations 240.

External Relations

• True Martial Sect — Initially subject to imperial recognition and mobilization. Relations develop into military support and a formal territorial grant, although the sect chooses neutrality during the conflict with the Northern Barbarians and Demonic Sect remnants 6 83 142 172 201. Ning Qi also provides branch intelligence after destroying the Demonic Sect headquarters, and the sect quietly cooperates with the imperial purge 167 168.
• Demonic Sect — Persistent internal enemy founded by remnants of Great Yu's imperial family. Despite repeated suppression, it survives through hidden branches and preserved inheritances 117 167 172.
• Southern Border Alliance — Rival power beyond Great Flame's southern territory. Southern Border has resisted conquest by successive dynasties and later allies with the Demonic Sect against Great Yan 110 128.
• Northern Barbarians — Long contained by the North Suppressing King. Their invasion under the Beast Emperor breaks through Zhenbei Heroic Pass before Saint Yan forces their withdrawal 116 185 201.
• Returning Ancient Saints — Their territorial claims weaken Great Flame's former dominance. Saint Yan combines military deterrence with negotiated concessions rather than opposing every claimant 185 196.
• True Mystery Sect — The court seeks True Mystery True Lord's aid during the Beast Emperor crisis, but he is away from the mountain and unavailable 184.
• Li Clan Immortal Family — A major Immortal Path institution founded by True Person Yanwu that relies on Great Yan. Although centered on Li Clan members, it also nurtures outstanding outsiders 240.

Secrets and Unresolved Claims

• Martial Saint inheritances: A hidden page in Wu Jianghe's autobiography warns against sharing or studying his Martial Saint insights while Great Yan rules. Ning Qi suspects that the dynasty's Martial Saint may have suppressed the Martial Saint Method, but this remains a suspicion at that point 138.
• Bloodline succession: Saint Yan's use of Li Yanwu's body explains part of the mystery surrounding his longevity. Ning Qi connects it to bloodline-based survival methods while noting that it differs from Listening Wind Old Man's approach 184 185.
• Unease within the court: After learning certain facts about the Flame Martial Great General, the formerly devoted North Suppressing King becomes disturbed by Saint Yan's appearance, despite receiving gifts from him 201.