Nether Pavilion

Biodata

Background

Nether Pavilion is a major sect of Qingyang Prefecture and a longstanding rival of the Azure Profound Sect. Their hostility is sufficiently entrenched that disciples of the two sects immediately clash when encountered outside the sects' territories, though there is a tacit understanding that senior figures do not directly target ordinary disciples of the opposing side. 122 281

The pavilion maintains a broad network of mines, medicinal fields, markets, shops, strongholds, and supply routes throughout Qingyang Prefecture. It also secretly procures valuable materials outside the prefecture through merchant caravans. 432 445

Nether Pavilion has stood among Qingyang Prefecture's top powers for several centuries, accumulating a foundation and commercial holdings spanning nearly every trade in the prefecture. Its later submission to Azure Profound Sect therefore attracted widespread attention as an exceptional reversal of its established position. 708 712 713

Ling Wuyuan's eventual advancement to Grandmaster gave Nether Pavilion two Grandmasters in one sect, strengthening its leadership's confidence and prompting renewed harassment of Azure Profound Sect's industries. That confidence was checked when Fang Han defeated Ling Wuyuan at his Grandmaster Banquet and Gu Changqing threatened retaliation against Ling if Li Hanjiang attacked Fang Han. 663 664 668

After the Azure Profound Sect destroyed Thunderlight Pavilion and Fang Han advanced to the Grandmaster realm with combat power comparable to a Fifth Layer Grandmaster, Nether Pavilion's leadership judged that the sect could not withstand a direct confrontation. It chose preservation over pride, offering extensive compensation rather than attempting to relocate or fight. 708 709

Following the settlement, a masked representative of the Dark Sacred Cult offered to eliminate Fang Han if Nether Pavilion joined his faction. Li Hanjiang and Ling Wuyuan rejected the proposal, judging involvement with the secretive organization more dangerous than their existing predicament, although they remained uncertain about the permanence of peace with Azure Profound Sect. 713

Power Progression

Organization

Leadership

• Ling Wuyuan — Pavilion Master; ranked third on the Martial Artist Ranking and possessed peak First Rank cultivation when he emerged from a ten-year seclusion without reaching the Grandmaster realm. He then chose to end the conflict with Azure Profound Sect to preserve Nether Pavilion's foundation. He later convened the council that considered the sect's response to the Azure Profound Sect's growing power. 452 708 He subsequently became a Grandmaster, but Fang Han defeated and badly wounded him at his celebratory banquet. Although he vowed to remember the humiliation, the importance of his survival to the pavilion's succession constrained further retaliation. After the compensation settlement, he rejected the Dark Sacred Cult's recruitment offer while acknowledging that Azure Profound Sect might become hostile again. 663 664 668 713
• Li Wushang — Deputy Pavilion Master who handled the pavilion's affairs during Ling Wuyuan's seclusion. He directed retaliatory operations against Fang Han and later faced Ling Wuyuan's criticism over the pavilion's losses. During the later crisis, he proposed secretly relocating the sect from Qingyang Prefecture, but the proposal was rejected. 443 447 452 708 Ling's Grandmaster breakthrough initially led him to predict that Nether Pavilion would surpass Azure Profound Sect. He formally welcomed the Azure Profound Sect delegation to the Grandmaster Banquet while maintaining hostility toward Fang Han, and was subsequently enraged by Ling's public defeat. 663 664 668
• Li Hanjiang — Supreme Elder, known as “Ghost Eye,” and a formidable veteran Grandmaster. He belongs to the same generation as Gu Changqing, with whom he competed openly and covertly for decades without either decisively suppressing the other. 386 668 As a senior council leader, he made the final decision for Nether Pavilion to apologize and offer compensation, judging survival more important than the sect's pride. 707 708 He earlier restrained retaliation after Gu Changqing threatened Ling Wuyuan's life, recognizing that the pavilion might lose its top-tier standing or perish if it failed to produce another Grandmaster before his own death. He later rejected recruitment by the Dark Sacred Cult because its secrecy and powerful representative suggested dangerous ambitions or enemies. 668 713
• Yan Xiu — High-ranking leader who proposed offering compensation to Azure Profound Sect to avert the sect's destruction. 707 708
• Chen Wuming — High-ranking leader who participated in the emergency council and reluctantly accepted the decision to seek peace. 707 708
• Luo Qi — Elder and the pavilion's foremost tracker. She investigated the thefts from Nether Pavilion mines but could not trace the culprit beyond the crime scenes. 447 450

Known Members

• Nether Bone — Elder who represented Nether Pavilion during the Seven Sects Competition. 156
• Ming Gu — Elder who led Nether Pavilion's team in the competition against Azure Profound Sect. 146
• Meng Xian — Prodigy Ranking true disciple who pursued Fang Han after the conflict over the Black Tortoise True Art. 322 325
• Yin Huang — Prodigy Ranking true disciple killed before Nether Pavilion deacons discovered his body. 409
• Yin Wugou — Second Rank elder killed alongside Yin Huang. Azure Profound Sect used Yin Huang's plea for help to lure him into an ambush in retaliation for his earlier attack on Fang Han. 409
• Yuan Zhan — Late Third Rank elder who led the assault on Azure Profound Sect's mining camp near Sky Swallow City; Fang Han beheaded him. 419 421
• Ma Yuan — Second Rank elder and caravan escort; killed during Azure Profound Sect's ambush. 433 435
• Zhao Ping — Late Third Rank elder and caravan escort; killed by Fang Han during the same ambush. 433 436
• Tu Hong — Third Rank elder who pursued Yang Rui after a convoy ambush; killed by Fang Han. 438 441
• Qin Luomei — One of Nether Pavilion's nine remaining Second Rank elders. She discovered Fang Han's raid on the largest Spirit Iron Mine but failed to catch him. 449
• Wang Lie — Senior deacon who led the team that discovered the bodies of Yin Huang and Yin Wugou. 409
• Feng Yuan — Elder involved in investigating the pavilion's raided properties and its destroyed supply caravan. He had overseen its tracking affairs for many years but could not find a trail left by the mine thief. 436 447
• Shen You — Seventh Rank disciple whose pursuit of Fang Han forced him to rely on Wind Shadow Step and forest terrain to escape. 138 140 281
• Yin Bin — New disciple defeated by Shi Meng during the Seven Sects Competition. 143
• Mo Yuan — New disciple who advanced to the early Eighth Rank and defeated Shi Meng, but failed in his attempt to avenge his earlier humiliation by Fang Han. 143 144
• You Ling — Third-ranked newly inducted disciple in the competition team; a short-sword user specializing in swift, assassination-focused attacks. Fang Han defeated her after adapting to her technique. 144
• Huo Man — Second-ranked newly inducted disciple in the competition team; a mid-Eighth Rank fighter renowned for physical strength who wielded a massive black warhammer. Fang Han defeated him. 144 146
• Xin Wuming — Top-ranked newcomer in the competition team; a black-blade wielder defeated by Li Feng. 146
• Gong Xing — True disciple whose family disputed a silver mine with Fang Han's family. His death at Fang Han's hands contributed to Nether Pavilion's decision to target Fang Han through other true disciples. 309 325
• Gao Xiao and Tu Gang — Late Fourth Rank deacons killed by Fang Han during the struggle over the Black Tortoise True Art. Fang Han recovered the manual from Tu Gang's body. 322 325
• Duan Wuya — True disciple ranked forty-fifth on the Prodigy Ranking. He accepted Wan Yuntian's five-hundred-year Blood Jade Coral as payment to act against Fang Han, but was defeated and escaped using the Blood Shadow Escape Art. 344 357
• Li Hanshan — Elder stationed at the Secluded Residence in Abyssfront City. He examined the wounded Duan Wuya and regarded Fang Han's exceptional growth as a future threat to the pavilion. 357
• You Xin — True disciple ranked sixth on the Prodigy Ranking, close to entering the upper ranks during the Cloud Mist Mountain Range monster assault. His black palm imprint could kill a monster comparable to a late Fourth Rank martial artist. 380
• Yuan Ye — Yuan Zhan's cousin, whom Li Wushang planned to advance to Second Rank with an upper-grade Realm-Breaking Pill before sending him to kill Fang Han and reclaim the gold mine. He subsequently appeared as a Second Rank elder, and his spiritual perception detected Fang Han's attempted ambush. 422 425 430
• Han Ling — Elder who helped ambush Azure Profound Sect's supply convoy and secured its cargo while Tu Hong pursued Yang Rui. 438
• Liu Jin — Deacon who conveyed reports and received Li Wushang's instructions concerning retaliation and the tracking investigation. 422 447

Attire and Insignia

Nether Pavilion members are identified by black garments decorated with shadowy flame motifs.

• Ordinary disciples wear fitted black clothing with eerie dark-flame patterns embroidered on their cuffs and lapels. 122
• True disciples wear more refined black robes with silver-thread bases and intricate dark-flame embroidery. 283
• Elders wear broad black robes bearing dark-gold flame patterns. 357 419
• Qin Luomei's elder robes bear silver-thread flame motifs, indicating that not all elder garments use gold embroidery. 449
• The pavilion's residences and strongholds display the same dark-flame emblem on plaques, lanterns, and architectural details. 344 357

Holdings and Facilities

• Main sect headquarters — A mountain complex of black halls linked by corridors and marked by carved flame-patterned pillars. 391 Its entrance is a massive black stone arch bearing the pavilion's name in dark-gold lettering. 664
• Nether Abyss — The forbidden rear mountain where successive Pavilion Masters and the Grand Elder undergo secluded cultivation. 452
• Prefecture City residence — A high-walled, solemn Nether Pavilion compound in Qingyang Prefecture City. 344
• Secluded Residence — A Nether Pavilion-marked stronghold in Abyssfront City, staffed by Elder Li Hanshan. Duan Wuya took refuge there after his failed attack on Fang Han. 357
• Golden Brilliance City estate — A luxurious property in the western part of the city. 284
• Commercial assets — Mines, medicinal fields, markets, and shops across Qingyang Prefecture. Half of these assets were later transferred to Azure Profound Sect as compensation. 445 709 711
• Gold mine near Sky Swallow City — A mine situated on the same mineral vein as an Azure Profound Sect mine; it was seized after Yuan Zhan's death. 419 421
• Largest Spirit Iron Mine — A major ore-producing property guarded by Qin Luomei. Fang Han killed its warehouse guards and stole its stockpiled high-quality ores before escaping her pursuit. 448 449
• Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasures — Nether Pavilion secretly possessed three Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasures, which it offered as part of its peace compensation; one was the Dragon Elephant Fruit later granted to Fang Han. 709 712 Both sects concealed the treasures' inclusion in the settlement to avoid attracting factions that might suspect Nether Pavilion possessed additional treasures. 712

Methods and Operations

• Nether Pavilion is known for direct, ruthless retaliation, including ambushes and assassination attempts. 339 443
• Its disciples employ elusive movement techniques and vicious weapon styles, including ghostly short blades, cold palm techniques, black whips, sinister fist arts, and heavy weapons. 122 145
• Its true disciples can act against opposing disciples of the same generation without the restrictions that ordinarily prevent elders from personally attacking juniors. Fang Han anticipated further attacks by highly ranked true disciples after Gong Xing's death. 325
• The pavilion used a Spirit-Hiding Pearl to block Fang Han's sensory secret art during an attempted assassination. 443
• Its tracking personnel searched for the thief behind the mine raids through scent, footprints, and secret techniques, but Fang Han's concealment left virtually no usable trail. 447 450 451
• Its tracking staff included Sixth Rank stewards skilled in scent detection and examining minute physical traces. 447
• In response to repeated raids, Li Wushang ordered all properties to transport stockpiled supplies back to the sect. 451
• Nether Pavilion possesses advanced secret-art inheritances, including the top-tier tracking technique Nether Guide, which it later provided to Azure Profound Sect for the pursuit of Yan Wuji. 569
• Nether Guide detects living beings' auras rather than the scents of living and inanimate objects, reducing interference from nonliving surroundings. Nether Pavilion restricted the transferred manual to Fang Han alone and expressly prohibited him from passing it on. 569
• Fang Han later brought Nether Guide to Perfection, extending its sensing range to twenty li and enabling highly precise detection of concealed Grandmasters. This represented the technique's ceiling, after which he began studying the higher-grade Soul-Chasing Art. 671
• When confronted by the prospect of Fang Han's Grandmaster-level retaliation, the pavilion abandoned plans to withdraw from Qingyang Prefecture because his tracking arts made escape impractical. 708
• The pavilion's leadership refused the Dark Sacred Cult's offer of outside protection through subordination, reasoning that entanglement with a powerful but clandestine faction could expose the sect to catastrophic danger. 713

Relationships

• Azure Profound Sect — Longstanding enemy and principal rival in Qingyang Prefecture. Their conflict escalated through sect competitions, mine seizures, caravan ambushes, assassinations, and asset raids before Ling Wuyuan sought peace. Although the sides initially reached an agreement, Nether Pavilion later sought the Azure Profound Sect's forgiveness again by ceding half its assets and three Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasures after the destruction of Thunderlight Pavilion shifted the balance of power. 122 421 436 453 708 709 712 Between the settlements, Ling's Grandmaster breakthrough prompted renewed provocations, which ended after his banquet defeat and Gu Changqing's warning. Even after renewed reconciliation, Nether Pavilion's leaders remained wary of future hostility. 664 668 713
• Fang Han — A central target of the pavilion's retaliation and a major cause of its losses. He killed numerous members, disrupted its attempt to acquire the Black Tortoise True Art, raided its properties, and publicly defeated Ling Wuyuan. His later Grandmaster-level strength and tracking abilities made both resistance and relocation unacceptable risks to the pavilion. 325 443 445 668 708
• Hundred Treasures Pavilion — Its merchant connections uncovered Nether Pavilion's covert procurement of precious materials outside Qingyang Prefecture, enabling Azure Profound Sect's ambush of a supply caravan. 432 433
• Yan Wuji — A shared threat whose escape prompted Nether Pavilion to provide Azure Profound Sect with the top-grade tracking technique Nether Guide. 569
• Thunderlight Pavilion — Its destruction by Azure Profound Sect alarmed Nether Pavilion's leadership and directly prompted the pavilion's later decision to offer major compensation. 708
• Wan Yuntian / Myriad Treasures Tower — Wan Yuntian exploited Nether Pavilion's existing enmity with Fang Han by bribing Duan Wuya with Blood Jade Coral to arrange an attack while concealing his own involvement. 344 357
• Dark Sacred Cult — A secretive faction whose masked representative infiltrated Nether Pavilion and offered to remove Fang Han in exchange for the pavilion joining it. Li Hanjiang and Ling Wuyuan declined, considering the faction's hidden nature and formidable strength signs of potentially disastrous involvement. No alliance was established. 713

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Baishan City clash — Four Nether Pavilion disciples overwhelm Azure Profound Sect disciples in Baishan City's western market until Fang Han intervenes. Their strongest accompanying disciple proves capable of matching Fang Han's movement technique and fist-to-sword exchanges. 122
• Seven Sects Competition — Nether Pavilion faces Azure Profound Sect in a gauntlet match. Fang Han defeats Mo Yuan, You Ling, and Huo Man consecutively, while Li Feng defeats Xin Wuming to secure Azure Profound Sect's victory. 143 146
• Black Tortoise True Art pursuit — After Fang Han defeats two Nether Pavilion deacons and acquires the Black Tortoise True Art, Meng Xian pursues him. The pavilion subsequently identifies Fang Han as a major target after the death of True Transmission disciple Gong Xing. 322 325
• Duan Wuya's assassination attempt — Wan Yuntian bribes Duan Wuya to attack Fang Han. After his defeat, Duan escapes to the Secluded Residence, where Li Hanshan's assessment of Fang Han's growth reinforces the pavilion's concern over his potential. Fang Han abandons pursuit rather than give the stationed elder grounds to attack him. 344 357
• Yin Wugou's death and renewed retaliation — Azure Profound Sect uses Yin Huang as bait to lure out and kill Yin Wugou in revenge for his attack on Fang Han. When the bodies are discovered, Li Wushang orders attacks on Azure Profound Sect's businesses, escalating the conflict. 409
• Sky Swallow City mine conflict — Yuan Zhan attacks Azure Profound Sect's mining camp with more than thirty disciples. Fang Han kills Yuan Zhan, causing Nether Pavilion's remaining forces to flee; Azure Profound Sect then captures the pavilion's gold mine. 419 421
• Yuan Ye's deployment — Li Wushang arranges to strengthen Yuan Ye and send him to recover the seized mine and kill Fang Han. Yuan Ye's Second Rank spiritual perception later exposes the limitations of Fang Han's concealment art during an attempted ambush. 422 425 430
• Supply caravan ambush — Azure Profound Sect intercepts a Nether Pavilion caravan carrying secretly procured supplies. Ma Yuan, Zhao Ping, and more than thirty accompanying members are killed, while the attackers erase evidence of their involvement. 433 435 436
• Failed assassination scheme — Nether Pavilion ambushes an Azure Profound Sect convoy and attempts to lure Fang Han into a trap using multiple elders. Chen Wanjun intervenes, and Tu Hong is killed; the pavilion subsequently loses four Second Rank elders. 438 441 443
• Asset raids — Fang Han infiltrates Nether Pavilion medicinal fields and mines, stealing herbs, silver, gold, and ores while killing guards and evading the pavilion's trackers. The raids force Nether Pavilion to suspend normal stockpiling at its properties. 445 446 448 451
• Peace agreement — Ling Wuyuan emerges from seclusion, judges the conflict too costly, and offers compensation and restraint. Azure Profound Sect accepts the proposal to end open hostilities. 452 453
• Cooperation against Yan Wuji — Despite their history, Nether Pavilion provides Nether Guide to Azure Profound Sect as part of a joint response to the escaped Iron River Gang Grandmaster. 569 Fang Han alone is permitted to cultivate the transferred art, which he subsequently uses to follow Yan Wuji's trail. 569 574
• Grandmaster breakthrough and renewed provocations — Ling Wuyuan becomes a Grandmaster, giving the pavilion two Grandmasters and renewing its leaders' ambitions against Azure Profound Sect. Harassment of Azure Profound Sect industries prompts Chen Tianyuan to take Fang Han to Ling's celebratory banquet as a public deterrent. 663 664
• Grandmaster Banquet humiliation — Fang Han defeats and badly wounds Ling Wuyuan, bringing the banquet to an abrupt end. Gu Changqing warns Li Hanjiang that an attack on Fang Han will be answered by an attack on Ling. Li Hanjiang orders an end to further confrontation because Ling's survival is essential to the pavilion's future. 668
• Grandmaster-era capitulation — After the Azure Profound Sect destroys Thunderlight Pavilion and Fang Han demonstrates combat power comparable to a Fifth Layer Grandmaster, Nether Pavilion's leadership determines that resistance or relocation would likely lead to destruction. 707 708
• Major compensation settlement — Nether Pavilion offers half of its assets and three Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasures to secure peace with Azure Profound Sect. The sect subsequently begins transferring its industries, while one of the treasures, the Dragon Elephant Fruit, is awarded to Fang Han. 709 711 712 News of the asset transfer spreads across Qingyang Prefecture, but both sects keep the three treasures secret to avoid attracting outside interest. 711 712
• Dark Sacred Cult recruitment attempt — A masked expert infiltrates Nether Pavilion at night without being immediately detected by either Li Hanjiang or Ling Wuyuan. He offers to eliminate Fang Han if the pavilion joins the Dark Sacred Cult and challenges their belief that compensation has resolved the old enmity. The leaders refuse his offer, judging the hidden faction too dangerous, but afterward acknowledge that their reconciliation with Azure Profound Sect may not guarantee lasting safety. 713