Great Shang

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Great Shang (殷商)
Alias(es)	Shang Dynasty
Affiliation	Human Race
Occupation/Role	Human dynasty; political center of the Human Race during King Zhou's reign
Status	Defunct; endured for several hundred years after the Canonization before fracturing into competing vassal states 306
Capital	Chaoge City 6 71
First Appearance	1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Declining dynasty	1	Great Shang faces internal discontent, the fallout from King Zhou's offense against Nüwa, and the looming rise of Xiqi.
Reforming state	18 61	The Three-Year Development Plan begins transforming clothing, food, housing, transportation, education, military affairs, and production across the realm.
Human Canonization system	62 91 98	Great Shang replaces Heavenly Court-appointed local gods with human-enfeoffed deities who govern land and water while remaining subject to Shang law.
Territorial field domain	99 100	King Zhou establishes his Dao with Great Shang, making its territory his field domain and linking its strength to Human Race Fortune.
Centralized realm	235 236	The Four Lords' system is dismantled as the remaining lords surrender; Human Race Fortune rises and a barrier begins forming around the Nine Provinces.
Unified human realm	298	Xiqi surrenders without battle, completing Great Shang's unification of the Human Race.

Background

At the beginning of the story, Great Shang is a weakening dynasty associated with King Zhou's past debauchery and his public offense against Goddess Nüwa. Its position is further threatened by rebellious lords, Xiqi's ambitions, and divine forces operating within its territory 1 5.

The realm contains numerous Heavenly Court-appointed Mountain Gods, River Gods, and other local deities supported by human sacrifices. Their influence becomes a central political problem after the Qi River flood and Taihang Mountain tremors reveal how deeply divine authority is embedded in Shang society 6 8.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Revival under King Zhou

King Zhou issues an Edict of Self-Reproach and works to reshape public opinion before launching broad reforms. He introduces paper, movable-type printing, the compass, waterwheel, iron plow, and the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, with Bi Gan overseeing their dissemination 6 10.

The Three-Year Development Plan abolishes slavery, forbids deity worship, and directs state development toward the common people's material welfare. Although Shang Rong opposes it, Bi Gan and Wen Zhong support its implementation 18 19.

North Sea Campaign

King Zhou personally campaigns against the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea, taking Kong Xuan, Li Jing, and Nezha with him while Yin Jiao oversees the state and Wen Zhong assists governance 22 24.

The campaign exposes supernatural support behind the rebellion. King Zhou defeats the North Sea's demon forces and the Giant Serpent, earning the army's lasting reverence and ending the rebellion within a month 27 28 36 39.

Reform, Canonization, and Centralization

Following the North Sea victory, Great Shang establishes a Hall of Talents and opens recruitment beyond conventional social boundaries 41. It later develops a system of Human Canonization: Water Gods regulate rivers and weather, while Earth Gods improve production, locate mineral deposits, and protect local communities 62 91.

The dynasty's first and second development plans improve living standards, education, production, and military capacity. By the first Five-Year Plan, cultivation methods are spreading among the population and the state has further strengthened its administrative and divine systems 87 98 99.

King Zhou uses the Decree of Grace and subsequent military pressure to weaken the hereditary lords. The Lord of the South, Lord of the North, and remaining regional lords ultimately surrender their titles and territories to Great Shang 62 235.

Conflict with Xiqi and the Four Forces

Xiqi's rebellion attempts to exploit claims of Heaven's Mandate, divine omens, and support from the Chan Sect. Great Shang's population largely treats these displays as rumors rather than proof that Xiqi is destined to replace Shang 138.

Great Shang's army grows through the Five Great Secret Realms cultivation method, Dragon Tooth Rice, and Spirit Stones. Ordinary soldiers reach the Second Realm or higher, while elite troops advance beyond the Five Realms and become comparable to Heavenly Soldiers and Generals 216.

During the final Campaign against Shang, King Zhou deploys the Divine Diagram Sword Formation. By merging the formation with Great Shang's territorial authority and Human Race Fortune, he suppresses powerful enemies and even resists Innate Supreme Treasures 250 256 261.

Unification and Later Decline

After the Four Forces lose their support for Xiqi, Yin Jiao succeeds King Zhou and leads Great Shang's army toward Xiqi. King Wu Ji Fa surrenders the city, completing the unification of the Human Race under Great Shang 297 298.

Great Shang remains stable without King Zhou's direct rule because its cabinet, officials, cultivation system, and social institutions continue to function under Yin Jiao 297 298. Several centuries later, however, centralized authority weakens, regional powers re-emerge, and the Shang Dynasty eventually fractures into rival states 306.

Institutions and Resources

Development Plans

• The Three-Year Development Plan restructures civilian life, production, education, urban development, and military construction 19 87.
• The later Five-Year Plan expands these systems as Great Shang's population becomes wealthier and cultivation becomes more widespread 99.
• The Imperial Examination is opened regardless of birth or race, selecting officials by talent and knowledge rather than lineage 215.

Human Canonization

• Great Shang enfeoffs its own Mountain Gods, Water Gods, Earth Gods, and other local deities instead of accepting Heavenly Court control 62 91.
• Enfeoffed deities are state servants with defined responsibilities rather than independent recipients of human worship 91 98.
• Their authority makes large-scale projects—such as gathering Myriad Gold Essence throughout the realm—far easier to complete 132.

Military Strength

• The army uses the Five Great Secret Realms cultivation method, Dragon Tooth Rice, and Spirit Stones to develop its soldiers 216.
• Yuan Hong and Nezha advance from Mystic Immortal to Golden Immortal during the prolonged conflict with Xiqi 216.
• The King's Mandate Army serves as a hidden elite force that reverses Xiqi's attempted offensive against Great Shang 203 207.

Territory and Human Race Fortune

• King Zhou turns Great Shang's territory into a field domain, allowing him to resonate with its mountains, rivers, land, and other natural features 99 100.
• The Nine Heavenly Steeles suppress and gather Human Race Fortune across the Nine Provinces 237.
• The Divine Diagram and Forty-Nine War Swords create the Divine Diagram Sword Formation, which combines Great Shang's territorial authority with Human Race Fortune 237 250.

Relationships

• King Zhou / Zi Shou — Great Shang's reforming Human Sovereign; he restores the dynasty's prestige, establishes its territorial field domain, and directs its resistance to divine interference 18 99 100.
• Yin Jiao — Crown prince who succeeds King Zhou and oversees Great Shang's final unification of the Human Race through Xiqi's surrender 297 298.
• Bi Gan — Assistant Minister and King Zhou's uncle; administers the development plans, disseminates new inventions, and prepares the detailed territorial map used for Human Canonization 10 61 62.
• Wen Zhong — Grand Tutor, military commander, and stabilizing force in Chaoge; supports the reforms and leads Great Shang's army against Xiqi 18 39 297.
• Kong Xuan — Grand Preceptor and the Great Shang's Mysterious Bird totem; his fate and cultivation are bound to the dynasty's prosperity or destruction 23 120.
• Jiejiao Sect — Allied sect whose disciples hold Shang offices and later cooperate with Great Shang against the forces backing Xiqi 54 122 203.
• Xiqi — Rebellious rival state whose claim to Heaven's Mandate becomes the principal political and military challenge to Great Shang before its surrender 138 154 298.
• Heavenly Court — Opposing divine power whose appointed gods are displaced by Great Shang's Human Canonization system 62 91 98.