Moon Worshipping Sect

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Moon Worshipping Sect
Alias(es)	Moon Worshipping Cult; Moon Worship Sect
Affiliation	Operatives include Qingyang County Magistrate Zhang Yunpeng and the Seven Star Fort; its main force is concentrated at Dragon Ridge Mountain 112 130 134
Occupation/Role	Heretical sect seeking the “key” and conducting blood-and-soul sacrificial rituals
Status	Active; its Qingyang Ancient City operation and Netherworld Locking Spirit Array were disrupted, while its wider network remains active 136 156
First Appearance	Chapter 4

Background / History

The sect entered Qingyang County roughly two years before its first appearance. It publicly presented itself as a charitable organization that healed the sick and distributed eggs and wheat cakes, using these favors to recruit villagers, refugees, and vagrants into worship of the “Moon God.” Qingyang authorities initially observed the group but did not act, while local gangs and major families avoided conflict with it. 4 45 60

Its public processions were led by white-robed bell bearers. Recruits followed with blank expressions and unnaturally bright eyes, chanting, “Break through the maze and find the way, cast off fate and seize the day!” The bell is described as possessing a heart-disturbing, bewitching influence. 4

The sect had vanished centuries earlier before re-emerging. The Demon Suppression Bureau reportedly destroyed its former headquarters, but it returned “like wild grass” and rebuilt its influence across the Great Yan Dynasty. 45 117

Operations in Qingyang County

Search for the “key”

The sect spent more than two years searching Qingyang for a “key,” initially without its rank-and-file members knowing its appearance or purpose. The target was eventually identified as the Demon Suppression Stele, an ancient object connected to a hidden formation and a route to Dragon Ridge Mountain. 67 117 119

According to Yue Mankong, the key was believed to be an ancient treasure capable of communicating with demon gods. The sect used the Netherworld Locking Spirit Great Array on Dragon Ridge Mountain to erode the hidden formation concealing it and expose its location. 129

Blood and soul sacrifices

The sect collaborated with Seven Star Fort to recruit vagrants, supply them with medicinal resources and martial training, and raise them to the Nourishing Blood Realm. More than 150 such martial artists were sent to the sect and were not expected to return. 113 115 119 122

These victims were intended for a combined blood sacrifice and soul sacrifice. The sect required the vigorous qi and blood and strengthened soul sources of Nourishing Blood Realm martial artists to provoke demonic aura from the key and accelerate the collapse of its protective formation. 129

Qingyang Ancient City formation

The sect established a city-spanning Netherworld Locking Spirit Array across Qingyang’s North City. Its nodes used Formation Stones, flags, spirit lines, and sect members assigned to maintain them. 129 136

The formation was intended to sacrifice North City residents and unleash or exploit a Resentful Spirit formed from innumerable vengeful souls. When the sect opened the array prematurely in response to approaching Demon Suppression Bureau forces, it struggled to contain the Resentful Spirit it had released. 117 129 134

Organization and Methods

• White-robed members — Common visible operatives who lead recruit processions, maintain array nodes, and deploy in coordinated groups. 4 107 136
• Gray-robed members — Combat-capable operatives; at least one demonstrated Transforming into Quality-level strength. 80 107
• Black-robed members / envoys — Higher-ranking combatants and field leaders, including experts of the Supernatural Power Realm. 123 126 136
• Sacrifice God Envoy — Ling Kongyu, who led elite members at Dragon Ridge Mountain in the search for the key and suppression of Yue Mankong. 134
• Soul-snatching bell — Carried by white-robed recruiters; its sound charms or unsettles listeners and accompanies indoctrinated processions. 4 107
• Recruitment through charity — Uses food, medical treatment, and small material benefits to draw in desperate civilians before indoctrinating them. 4 45 60
• Secrecy and misdirection — Operatives searched covertly with disc-shaped objects, used black-mist barriers, and framed rival factions to obscure the sect’s activities. 42 103 123
• Assassination and coercion — The sect eliminates threats, massacres rival groups, and attempts to force valuable individuals into service. 125 156 157

Major Arcs

Arrival and covert recruitment

The sect entered Qingyang under a benevolent facade, then operated openly enough that residents learned to hide at the sound of its bells. Chu Fan’s parents warned him never to provoke it. 4

Hunt for the Demon Suppression Stele

Sect agents intensified their movements around Chu Fan’s ancestral residence while searching for the key. Their activity drew the attention of the Blood Saber Sect, the Huang Family, Chu Fan, and eventually other Qingyang factions. 42 67 77

Destabilization of Qingyang

After news of the key spread, the sect’s secret search became entangled with gang conflict. It used a remotely controlled beast to massacre Blood Saber Sect members as a warning, then later destroyed the Blood Saber Sect’s headquarters entirely. 103 125

Seven Star Fort conspiracy

The sect’s alliance with Seven Star Fort was exposed through the latter’s systematic recruitment and delivery of Nourishing Blood Realm disciples for sacrifice. Chu Fan destroyed a related formation and rescued imprisoned children, while Yue Mankong’s spiritual-sense clone was found trapped beneath it. 112 113

North City sacrificial crisis

With its Qingyang plans unraveling, the sect activated the Netherworld Locking Spirit Array and released the Resentful Spirit. Reinforcements from Dragon Ridge Mountain arrived to maintain array nodes and free the spirit, but their movements exposed the nodes to Chu Fan and Qingyang’s defenders. 134 136

The array was dismantled after its nodes were destroyed, causing backlash against the members maintaining it. The sect’s years-long Qingyang operation collapsed, though its broader organization remained a threat. 136 138

Relationships

• Seven Star Fort — Co-conspirator that recruited, trained, and delivered Nourishing Blood Realm martial artists for the sect’s sacrificial scheme 113 115 119.
• Zhang Yunpeng — Qingyang County Magistrate and sect pawn; held a higher internal status than Gui Yue despite lower cultivation 122 130.
• Ling Kongyu — Sacrifice God Envoy directing elite members on Dragon Ridge Mountain and overseeing the key search 134.
• Gui Yue — Ling Kongyu’s disciple; a Third Heaven Supernatural Power Realm operative who led an interception of Demon Suppression Bureau reinforcements 130.
• Demon Suppression Bureau — Longstanding enemy that previously eradicated the sect’s headquarters; its agents opposed the Qingyang array and investigated the sect’s possible ties to the Tianxuan Sect 45 117 138.
• Chu Fan — Principal opponent in Qingyang; repeatedly killed sect experts, sabotaged its formations, and disrupted its sacrificial operation 121 129 136.
• Blood Saber Sect — Initially implicated in the struggle over the key, then repeatedly framed and ultimately annihilated by the sect and its allies 103 125.
• Ye Chang’an — Target of a later recruitment attempt; refused to join the sect and was violently subdued by a black-robed operative 156 157.

Notable Quotes

“Break through the maze and find the way, cast off fate and seize the day!” 4

“The Moon Worshipping Sect has always regarded human life as worthless, resorting to any means to achieve their goals—they were absolutely capable of such a thing!” 129

“No matter how many people died, no matter how chaotic Qingyang Ancient City became, even if the city was torn down, they had to find that ‘key.’” 123

Trivia

• The sect’s first known Qingyang appearance was under the guise of healing and relief work, rather than open violence. 4
• Its members were active at night at first, but later began appearing in broad daylight as their search became more urgent. 4 67
• The sect’s reinforcements from Dragon Ridge Mountain inadvertently led Chu Fan to previously hidden array nodes. 136