Eastern Wasteland

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Eastern Wasteland
Original Name	东荒
Type	Geographical region of the Sky River Realm 385 504
Location	A remote border region of the Eastern Continent, adjoining Eastern Wu and the Desolate Ruins 385 586 875
Ruling Cultivation Sect	Five Elements Sect following regional consolidation 795 1016
Mortal Government	Great Zhao Dynasty, established in Primordial Era year 6531 729
Administrative Divisions	Nineteen commanderies based on the former Nineteen Kingdoms 729
Royal Capital	Zheng City 903
First Appearance	Chen Mobai’s encounter in the Water Mansion 9

Geography

The Eastern Wasteland consists mainly of plains and plateau. Cloud Dream Marsh separates it from Eastern Wu, while the Desolate Ruins lie between it and Eastern Yi 385 504 906.

Area	Characteristics
Eastern Wasteland Plateau	Contains Xiao, Yan, Hong, Lei, and Shuang, along with most of Snow and Feng. Chen Mobai deduces that ancient locust devastation impoverished its surface while leaving much of its underground mineral and spiritual-vein wealth intact 602.
Cloud Dream Marsh	A ten-thousand-li water marsh carved out by True Monarch Yi Yuan. Wu, Yu, Yun, Lei, and Xiao border it on the Eastern Wasteland side 385 565.
Desolate Ruins	An undeveloped region containing powerful demon beasts and strange forces; it separates the Eastern Wasteland from Eastern Yi and initially obstructs movement between the sect’s territories 504 875.
Xia Country	Located in the southeast. Year-round volcanic eruptions make it the region’s hottest country and provide abundant Earth Fire resources 558.
Snow and Shuang Countries	Climatically contrasted with the volcanic heat of Xia 558.
Feng and Jian Countries	Situated between the climatic extremes and described as having the region’s most suitable climate for habitation 558.
Hua Country	A southern mountainous area with springlike seasons, abundant rainfall, and rivers flowing from Cloud Dream Marsh; particularly suitable for spirit plants and medicinal ingredients 559.

Major Settlements

Settlement	Significance
North Abyss City	A major market, administrative center, and destination for cultivator migration. By the later reform period, it has gathered nearly half the Eastern Wasteland’s cultivators 602 672 903.
Giant Wood Ridge	Divine Wood Sect headquarters and a central location within the Nineteen Commanderies 512 903.
Primordial Immortal City	Headquarters of the Five Elements Sect’s Earth Meridian and location of Earthy Academy 565 913.
Wind Rain Dock	Water Vein headquarters in the center of Cloud Dream Marsh, responsible for suppressing demon beasts 565.
Golden Light Immortal City	Home to Gold Vein sword cultivators. The Spirit Vault headquarters is placed beside their station to provide security and support the city’s economy 966.
Fire True Immortal City	Specializes in artifact refining 983.
Wan Hua Immortal City	Specializes in alchemy 983.
Zheng City	Great Zhao’s mortal capital and the intended site for sowing the Dao Law Seed 903.

History

Early Territory and Opening

An ancient Eastern Earth Imperial Court resource map labels the region “Cloud Dream Great River, Yellow Dragon Residence.” During that era, the Eastern Wasteland belonged to the territory of the True Spirit Yellow Dragon 1211.

The Eastern Wasteland and Eastern Yi originally formed part of the undeveloped Ruined Land. Disciples and followers of major Eastern Lands sects opened these territories for human settlement. Starry Skies Dao Sect participated in opening the Eastern Wasteland and selected Hua Country for cultivating spirit rice and herbs, later leaving its administration to local forces because of the distance 504 559.

The pioneers’ advance was blocked by locust demon beasts. Ice Heaven Snow Land’s Spirit Transformation cultivator personally led its Dao Sons and Saintesses to suppress a Fifth Grade Locust Mother Queen and seventeen Fourth Grade Locust Mothers. Saintess Qingyao remained afterward to deal with the surviving locust beasts 740.

Sect Division and Territorial Wars

Before its division, the Five Elements Sect controlled thirteen countries, more than half the Eastern Wasteland, including most of its valuable mineral veins and treasure lands. Golden Light Cliff subsequently took Feng Country, while Divine Wood Sect received Jian, Yun, Yu, Lei, and Xiao. The remaining Five Elements Sect retained seven countries under its Fire, Earth, and Water branches 565.

The split weakened its regional deterrence. Encouraged by Xuanxiao Dao Palace’s Zhao Xuankang, Mountain Shaking Peak allied with Six Armor Mountain and coordinated with Returning Heaven Valley and Blowing Snow Palace to seize Xiao Kingdom 565.

Divine Wood Sect later destroyed Mountain Shaking Peak and took Yan and Xiao. Its subsequent victories against Nan Xuan Sect and Six Armor Mountain allowed it to administer Yan, Xiao, and Hong, overturning the former triangular balance among the great sects 449 512.

Unification

Chen Mobai pursued unification through both cultivation politics and mortal government. Previously, cultivators had killed ambitious mortal rulers who crossed their borders, leaving the Nineteen Kingdoms territorially fixed. Jiang Zongheng instead helped advance unification through Yan Kingdom’s royal court and armies 684 689.

In Primordial Era year 6531, Jiang Zongheng and General Duan Shuyu accepted Hua Kingdom’s surrender. King Zhao then performed Fengshan sacrifices outside North Abyss City, where Chen Mobai bestowed a golden seal, jade crown, and royal sword. Yan Kingdom became the Great Zhao Dynasty, and the original nineteen kingdoms became nineteen commanderies with their names unchanged 729.

Mortal unification did not immediately complete cultivation-sect consolidation. Returning Heaven Valley remained outside Five Elements Sect control until Chen Mobai ordered its merger, making it the final outstanding sect 795.

Expansion Beyond the Region

After Chen Mobai formed his Nascent Soul, Five Elements Sect moved against Xuanxiao Dao Palace and later stabilized its former Eastern Yi territory. Captured Xuanxiao disciples were brought to the Eastern Wasteland Plateau for labor 810 839.

The Righteous and Demonic War brought refugees from Eastern Wu and Eastern Yi. Chen Mobai initially expelled foreign cultivators while sending reinforcements to Eastern Wu; entry restrictions were later lifted, though background checks remained 985 986 1022.

Following the war, the sect settled incoming populations and completed eight new cities outside the Eastern Wasteland. The new territories were organized into the Desolate Ruins Six Prefectures and Cloud Dream Prefecture 1017.

Cultivation Powers and Society

Seven Great Sects

The Seven Great Sects originally monopolized Foundation Establishment Pills. Rogue cultivators commonly joined them and accumulated contributions to obtain pills, while families and smaller sects exchanged spirit stones, herbs, and other resources for periodic allocations 60.

Sect	Regional Role and Later Development
Five Elements Sect	Formerly controlled thirteen countries; later became the governing cultivation power of the unified Eastern Wasteland 565 795.
Divine Wood Sect	Expanded through territorial conquest, agricultural development, and administrative reform under Chen Mobai 449 527 659.
Golden Light Cliff	Took Feng Country after the split and cooperated with Divine Wood Sect; received an agreed share of profits from the Yan–Xiao conquest without directly administering them 449 565.
Mountain Shaking Peak	A thousand-year-old inheritance whose rise was tied to the discovery of a Void Stone Mine; destroyed by Divine Wood Sect 308 449.
Six Armor Mountain	Surrendered its puppet inheritance, underwent a leadership coup, and was subsequently destroyed 512 651 672.
Returning Heaven Valley	Founded in Xia to exploit its Earth Fire resources; eventually ordered to merge into Five Elements Sect 558 795.
Blowing Snow Palace	One of the surviving independent powers alarmed by Divine Wood Sect’s rapid expansion 512.

Cultivation Standards

• Limited high-level strength: As described in Chapter 719, no Nascent Soul cultivator had appeared after Ancestor Hunyuan’s death. Eastern Earth holy lands, by contrast, possessed double-digit numbers of Nascent Souls 719.
• Scarce professional talent: A second-tier cultivation profession was sufficient qualification to serve as an Outer Sect Elder among the Seven Great Sects 452.
• Foundation training reform: Chen Mobai spread the Three Barriers of Foundation Establishment, encouraging balanced development of Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Most cultivators still prioritized spiritual power and Spiritual Sense over their physical bodies 580.
• Research limitations: Local understanding of spiritual roots was less thorough than the Immortal Sect’s, although basic relationships between attributes were known 619.

Security and Everyday Life

• Early lawlessness: Chen Mobai’s first Water Mansion encounter involved an attempted murder and betrayal between apparent allies, establishing his impression of the region as cruel and lawless 9 42.
• Predatory concealment: Some rogue cultivators hid their true cultivation to lure victims into robbery and murder 479.
• Plunder-driven warfare: Chen Mobai criticized local forces for favoring quick battlefield gains over sustainable development, despite the region’s abundant resources 453.
• Later protection: North Abyss City’s resources, free trade, and protection for residents who followed Chen Mobai’s rules attracted Eastern Wu cultivators, even prompting the Sun Family to attempt to block emigration 913.
• Integrity penalties: Cultivators listed as untrustworthy faced employment restrictions, exclusion from major shops, and loss of teleportation access 1013.
• Imperfect enforcement: Entry inspections could be circumvented by bribery, and the sect could not police every location outside its cities and formation coverage 986 1022.

Governance and Development

Administration

• Local institutions: Each kingdom guardian received smaller versions of the Three Halls Twelve Departments, supported by Foundation Establishment cultivators 527.
• Oversight: Conflicts between guardians and superior departments were referred to Divine Wood Hall, the sect leader, or the Inner Cabinet. Chen Mobai adapted this system from the Immortal Sect to restrain and supervise competing authorities 527.
• Commandery government: Jiang Zongheng was tasked with improving the commandery-and-county system; cultivation guardians were appointed throughout the nineteen commanderies 729.
• Delegation: E Yun became Acting Sect Master, while Yuan Chiye took over North Abyss City 769.

Agriculture and Plateau Reclamation

Initiative	Purpose and Results
Spirit rice distribution	One of Chen Mobai’s first regional reform measures; also encouraged outside Foundation Establishment forces to align with Divine Wood Sect 521.
Plateau reclamation	Combined sand control, irrigation, river excavation, spirit-field opening, and spirit-grass cultivation to restore fertility and resist the sand sea 602 642 672.
Specialized labor	Spirit Beast disciples herded livestock; spiritual-vein and plant specialists reclaimed fields; Puppet Department disciples maintained farming machines; body refiners transported crops 659.
Paid employment	Long-term contracts attracted rogue cultivators by offering dependable spirit-stone income rather than uncertain predation 672.
Agricultural Reform Plan	Planned to develop all cultivable wasteland and wild mountains. Its estimate of roughly 400 million mu of ordinary farmland could support 100–200 million people; these were projected capacities, not an existing population count 852.
Project succession	Han Zhiling later took over the fertile-fields project 866.

Plateau cultivation became a major source of income. Sect members projected that a fully developed plateau could exceed the combined annual output of the region’s spirit-stone mines, encouraging more than fifteen hundred Qi Cultivation disciples to accept development missions in one year 670.

Education and Infrastructure

• Academies: Jiang Zongheng expanded Longevity Academy’s proposed courses to include agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishing 647.
• Formation training: The first regional Academy Array Master Competition featured six academies. Longevity Academy won the team competition, while Earthy Academy’s Chunyu Zhengyuan won individually 913.
• City defenses: Chen Mobai revised the Small Positive-Negative Nine Palaces Formation and toured the immortal cities with Yi Shaoqing and Song Huangda to plan formation upgrades 903.
• Communications: Song Huangda led installation of Sky-Connecting Instruments. The Small Sky Curtain subsequently covered the entire Eastern Wasteland and portions of adjacent territories 903 913.
• Transport: Large Teleportation Arrays linked the Eastern Wasteland and Eastern Yi, greatly accelerating the collection and movement of medicinal ingredients 903.
• Civilization project: Chen Mobai entrusted Jiang Zongheng with a Dao Law Seed intended for Zheng City. Their planned scriptures promoted people-first principles, mutual respect, equality, and diligence as the foundation of a localized Minor Immortal Sect civilization 903.

Economic Imbalances

Development concentrated cultivators and wealth around the plateau and North Abyss City, weakening other counties as their residents sought better-paid work and city housing 795.

After more than a century, most major engineering projects other than sand control were complete. Infrastructure workers faced saturated employment markets, while housing loans intensified financial pressure. Some returned to robbery; E Yun responded with policing and efforts to transfer workers to projects in the sect’s outside territories 1080.

Resources, Industry, and Regional Defenses

Resources and Manufacturing

• Mineral wealth: Conquered territories supplied spirit-stone mines, mineral deposits, Earth Sha Yin Caves, spiritual fields, and Void Stone 449.
• Void Stone: Its value remained high because teleportation could allow defeated sects to escape with their personnel and wealth. Mountain Shaking Peak’s former mine was exhausted by the time Divine Wood Sect consolidated the three kingdoms 453 512.
• Commercial manufacturing: Puppet-factory talisman paper offered low prices, consistent conductivity, and reliable quality, helping Five Elements Chamber of Commerce enter Eastern Earth’s lower-end markets 810.
• Material imports: Eastern Earth sales funded purchases of high-grade spiritual materials, which flowed through Eastern Yi to North Abyss City 1036.
• Eastern Wasteland Armory: Researched Immortal Sect war-artifact blueprints, including the Vermilion Bird Dao Palace. Its refiners could construct the framework but still needed Chen Mobai’s guidance for component integration, formations, and the power furnace 1036.
• External development: The sect later directed surplus infrastructure workers toward Desolate Ruins projects, emphasizing mineral veins and crystals rather than competing with holy lands in medicinal ingredients 1080.

Spiritual-Vein Control

• Chen Mobai discovered and occupied previously unknown spiritual veins using Heaven-reaching Blessing and Earth Resonance 906 1016.
• E Yun negotiated exchanges of family-controlled spiritual veins for Core Formation spirit medicines 1016.
• Completion of the Sky Net Earth Net Great Formation extended its coverage across the entire Eastern Wasteland and gave Chen Mobai control over the region’s spiritual veins 1016.
• The region’s frontier position made it an important base for expeditions into the Desolate Ruins 875 1074.

Dragon Vein

The unified mortal dynasty produces a dragon vein beginning on the Eastern Wasteland Plateau and extending throughout the region. Lou Xuelong warned that maintaining unification for more than a thousand years could produce an enormous spiritual dragon vein, a resource associated with the Eastern Earth Imperial Court’s Six Dragons Riding Heaven Scripture 729 1036.

• Holy-land concern: Following the Imperial Court’s collapse, the holy lands tacitly opposed the rise of another comparable dynasty. A dragon vein gaining spirituality would trigger Dao Virtue Sect’s Heaven and Earth Astrolabe and draw its Heavenly Walker to slay the dragon 729.
• Preserved independence: Chen Mobai deliberately excluded the dragon vein from Sky Net Earth Net. Incorporating it would prevent independent spirituality, leaving only the formation spirit 1036.
• Controlled consumption: Hidden Dragon Pills consumed too little qi to balance its growth. Chen Mobai proposed Green Cicada tea plantations and refined a True Dragon Cauldron to draw in and store Dragon Vein Qi 1036.
• Future cultivation value: He wished to preserve the vein for studying the Six Dragons Riding Heaven Scripture, which offered a complete path toward Void Training 1036.
• Later condition: Ao Yuxia described it as the most vibrant dragon vein she had seen and questioned why one of its scale had not already developed spirituality 1134.