East Sea

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	East Sea (东海)
Affiliation	Primordial World
First Appearance	1

Appearance

The East Sea is depicted as a vast expanse whose waves stretch for ten thousand miles, with the horizon meeting the sky beyond Golden Turtle Island. During the Third Sea Eye crisis, black-blue spiritual tides rise from its depths and violently churn its surface. 6 15 19

• Golden Turtle Island, the Jie Sect's base, lies in the East Sea. 1
• Its surrounding waters include the Third Sea Eye, an unstable seabed formation point. 10 11
• The East Sea Dragon Palace oversees affairs in the region but cannot contain a full collapse of the Third Sea Eye alone. 16
• The Seventh and Ninth Sea Eyes are also among the East Sea sites defended with Jie Sect assistance. 8
• Sea cliffs, offshore sea mist, and a bluestone platform outside Golden Turtle Island feature in the sect's gatherings and confrontations with visiting immortals. 6 34 90 91

During Duobao's battle with the Antarctic Immortal, their clashing auras drive seawater outward and blast away the sea fog, exposing thousands of miles of the East Sea to observers. Yuanshi Tianzun's subsequent manifestation covers half the sea with a gigantic Yuqing hand; Tongtian's sword strike cleaves it and forces the surging waters back down. 91 92 93

Background / History

Jie Sect disciples have long maintained order throughout the East Sea, suppressing demons and monsters while also filling key positions in the Heavenly Court. Their widespread service initially concealed how dependent the region and the wider Primordial World were on them. 1 10

After the Jie Sect recalls its disciples to Golden Turtle Island, Qingxiaozi leaves his post at the Third Sea Eye. The Water Department's replacement officials fail to manage the site, triggering a reverse spiritual tide and a demon tide across three thousand miles of surrounding sea. 10

Qingxiaozi had guarded the Sea Eye for two thousand years, enduring repeated spiritual-tide disturbances and accumulating hidden injuries. Before departing, he handed over the formation map, command token, and records of changes; the Water Department later attempts to blame him when its own handling of the Sea-Suppressing Array kills seven officials. 11 12

Other records reveal the extent of the sect's East Sea service. Lu Qing guarded the Third Sea Eye for twenty-seven years, while Wei Chen repaired a fissure in the Ninth Sea Eye. During one emergency, Lu Qing and Zhou Huai held the Third Sea Eye's defenses for seven days; Zhou Huai was swept away by sea fiends, and his true spirit could not be recovered. Lu Qing's recorded merits include sealing the Sea Eye, protecting its water veins for seven days, and saving three thousand members of the Aquatic Race. 43 44 45 50

The Heavenly Court subsequently uses such service records to identify prospective Water Department deities. Expertise in East Sea water veins, Sea Eyes, and Dragon Clan routes becomes a basis for preliminary selection rather than merely recognition of past merit. Zhao Xuan's investigation exposes how Lu Qing's Sea Eye service was transformed into a purported foreordained connection to divine office through the Water Department, the Director of Fate, and a Jade Emptiness-approved priority policy. 43 46 52 54

By the end of the story, Golden Turtle Island remains the home of the surviving Jie Sect. Disciples leaving for the mortal world register before the Three Steles, while those returning from the outer seas record the karma of their journeys. Biyou Palace's bell sounds across the East Sea as the reformed Investiture system takes effect. 128

Notable Locations

Golden Turtle Island

Golden Turtle Island is the Jie Sect's East Sea stronghold and the site of Biyou Palace. It becomes the center of negotiations between Zhao Xuan, the Heavenly Court, the Dragon Palace, and the Chan Sect during the Sea Eye disaster. 1 16 17

After the initial crisis, the island becomes the center of the sect's internal investigations and its challenge to the Investiture of the Gods. Records of external correspondence, past service, and secret preliminary appointments are gathered there, and Zhao Xuan sends the resulting public indictment to the Heavenly Court. 34 41 43 45 46

Following the revision of the Investiture system, the Golden Ao Assembly establishes rules for outside invitations, departures, entry into the tribulation, and the use of sect formations. The island remains the sect's protected base rather than becoming the site of its predetermined destruction. 123 126 128

Third Sea Eye

The Third Sea Eye is a critical East Sea formation point guarded by Qingxiaozi on behalf of the Heavenly Court's Water Department.

• Its spiritual tides are chaotic, with minor disturbances every ten years and major ones every hundred years. 11
• Failed intervention by the Water Department and Thunder Department worsens the instability; the Sea Eye's spiritual tide eventually triples, and its seal cracks. 14 15
• A collapse threatens nearby islands, the Dragon Palace, and East Sea living beings. 14 16 19
• Qingxiaozi reconnects four disrupted array eyes and temporarily stabilizes the Sea-Suppressing Array after receiving formal authority from the Heavenly Court. 19
• The stabilization requires the formation to remain active. Qingxiaozi initially estimates that he can hold it for three days, or seven days if the Water Department stops tampering with its formation eye. 21
• Two sealed Heavenly Court orders hang within the Sea-Suppressing Array, establishing Qingxiaozi's command and assigning responsibility for unauthorized interference. 21
• Lu Qing's earlier service and Zhou Huai's death at the site become evidence in the investigation of the Heavenly Court's secret appointment registers. 43 44 45 50

East Sea Dragon Palace

The East Sea Dragon Palace repeatedly seeks Jie Sect assistance when the Third Sea Eye destabilizes. Zhao Xuan later demands a full accounting of the Dragon Palace's past requests for aid, delayed supplies, and attempts to shift responsibility to the Heavenly Court. 16 21

The accounting is to be delivered to Golden Turtle Island within seven days. It must list requests for reinforcements, supplies owed, delayed provisions, and occasions when the Dragon Palace shirked responsibility during Qingxiaozi's tenure. Its debts are subsequently included in the Investiture of the Gods Accountability Ledger. 21 26 27

Three Steles and bluestone platform

The Three Steles outside Golden Turtle Island record the origins of disasters, the authorities responsible for managing them, and the allocation of merit and karma. Their inscriptions project accountability disputes beyond the East Sea and become evidence against attempts to erase the Jie Sect's past contributions. 23 24

The nearby bluestone platform becomes the setting for the confrontation with the Antarctic Immortal. His battle with Duobao shatters the platform and exposes the proceedings to the surrounding factions and the wider Primordial World. 90 91 92

The steles later reveal prescribed deaths and divine appointments, support the disciples' resistance to their old fates, and record the sect's new safeguards. Holy Mother Guiling's departure register takes the form of a Black Daoist Book beside them, while the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation is entered into the Guardian Sect Formation Register. Tongtian also carries the steles to Zixiao Palace as evidence during the renegotiation and final settlement of the Investiture. 111 113 123 126 127

Story Role / Major Arcs

Jie Sect withdrawal

The East Sea is among the first regions visibly affected when the Jie Sect ceases its former duties. Qingxiaozi's withdrawal from the Third Sea Eye exposes the Heavenly Court's lack of personnel and technical knowledge of the formations maintained by Jie Sect disciples. 10 11

Third Sea Eye crisis

The Water Department attempts to apprehend Qingxiaozi and frame him for the deaths caused by its failed activation of the Sea-Suppressing Array. Zhao Xuan presents formation records, receipt seals, spiritual-tide logs, and Qingxiaozi's injury record to establish his innocence. 11 13

When the Sea Eye worsens beyond the Water Department's control, Haotian personally visits Golden Turtle Island. Zhao Xuan refuses an informal request for help and requires a sealed Heavenly Court petition that explicitly assigns Qingxiaozi's merits, the Heavenly Court's karma, compensation for harm to his Dao foundation, and separate settlement of future authority and destiny. 15 16 19

Formalization of Qingxiaozi's authority

Haotian seals the petition as the Third Sea Eye reaches a critical state. Qingxiaozi suppresses the formation under the petition's protection, allowing the backlash karma that had burdened him to be diverted to the Heavenly Court. 19

A second sealed order gives Qingxiaozi temporary command over the Sea Eye and prohibits the Water Department and Dragon Palace from altering formation flags or the formation eye without authorization. Any resulting backlash is assigned to the Heavenly Court. 21

The resolution establishes a broader rule for future Jie Sect assistance: those requesting intervention must sign, beneficiaries must bear the associated karma, and unpaid debts must be recorded. Dragon Clan representatives, Water Department officials, and overseas rogue cultivators hear the disciples affirm this rule across the East Sea. 21

Site of the accountability conflict

The East Sea becomes the public stage for Zhao Xuan's challenge to the Heavenly Court and Chan Sect. Guangchengzi condemns the Jie Sect's demands while refusing to suppress the Sea Eye himself, allowing Zhao Xuan to place the Chan Sect's inaction into the record of the Three Sects' merits and demerits. 17 18 20

The Three Steles outside Golden Turtle Island project questions of responsibility across the Primordial World: where a disaster began, who should manage it, and who should bear its merit and karma. The East Sea trembles when the steles activate, and the region's past Sea Eye service becomes part of the exposed Old Merit Karma linking the Jie Sect and Heavenly Court. 23 24

When a phantom Investiture of the Gods List places the Jie Sect first, Dragon Clan members, Water Department officials, and overseas cultivators witness the revelation from outside Golden Turtle Island. Zhao Xuan expands the dispute from individual debts to the system that treats the sect's service as grounds for its sacrifice. 25 26 27

The island's public records also expose outside interference. After the sect deals with Ma Yuan and Long-Ears, the mountain gate displays the authentic Yuqing Talisman Letter and Jade Emptiness's unresolved debt for sending it. Independent cultivators, Heavenly Court watchers, Jade Emptiness spies, and hidden Western Sect observers see the inscriptions from the surrounding sea. 38 39

Sea Eye service and secret divine appointments

The investigation of the Heavenly Court Private Register reveals that the Water Department sought names of disciples familiar with Sea Eyes, water veins, and the Dragon Clan. Lu Qing's Third Sea Eye service and other disciples' old records are incorporated into the Jie Sect Old Merit Ledger rather than left as private sect accounts. 43 45

The Water Department admits that its preliminary register included disciples who had assisted with the East Sea Sea Eye and Dragon Palace routes. Further scrutiny shows that Lu Qing's merits and expertise qualified him to fill a vacant Sea-Calming Office, while the Jie Sect's strong destiny made him a priority candidate. Zhao Xuan traces the administrative chain and prevents Lu Qing's name from being entered while the account remains unresolved. 46 52 54

Antarctic Immortal confrontation

The Antarctic Immortal arrives in the East Sea and requests Zhao Xuan by name, presenting his visit as an inquiry into the Chaoge-Xiqi relay-station incident. He waits outside the Three Steles, and Zhao Xuan meets him without throwing open Golden Turtle Island's mountain gate. 88 89

Evidence and testimony reveal that the wider scheme relied on keeping Zhao Xuan occupied in the East Sea while agents stirred unrest in Chaoge, provoked Xiqi, and attempted to move Northern Border troops through counterfeit orders. When the Gray-Clothed Man appeals to the Antarctic Immortal, Antarctic attempts to kill him with Yuqing energy; Duobao blocks the attack. 90 96

Duobao defeats Antarctic before the Three Steles, holding him on one knee in view of the East Sea's factions, the Heavenly Court, and Kunlun. Yuanshi Tianzun intervenes directly and injures Duobao, but Tongtian emerges from Biyou Palace and cleaves the great Yuqing hand with the Green Duckweed Sword. Tongtian then takes Antarctic and the evidence out of the East Sea to Zixiao Palace, accompanied by Zhao Xuan. 91 92 93 94

Hongjun's inquiry confirms Antarctic's attempted seizure of Zhao Xuan and attack on the witness. The resulting ruling confines Antarctic, orders White Crane's old commands destroyed, and restricts Jade Emptiness's interference in the mortal case. Tongtian and Zhao Xuan return to Golden Turtle Island with a partial victory, although the broader list of implicated parties remains under Hongjun's control. 96 97

Resistance to the old Investiture and final reforms

The Three Steles reveal the full allocation of deaths, divine offices, lineages, offerings, and merit. Above the East Sea, Tongtian strikes the words assigning Golden Ao's Ten Thousand Immortals to the list, while Zhao Xuan enables the disciples to confront and break their individual death sentences. 111

The sect's united refusal causes its names to fade from the list and forces renewed deliberation at Zixiao Palace. After the revised lists distribute obligations among Kunlun, the Heavenly Court, and the Western Sect, Tongtian and Zhao Xuan return to establish practical rules at Golden Turtle Island. 113 122 123

A hidden decree that the Jie Sect must perish subsequently appears above the East Sea, threatening to override the new safeguards. Hongjun overturns it and confirms that the sect will survive, its disciples will enter the tribulation according to individual karma, and no single sect will bear the whole cost. 125 126

The final settlement preserves Golden Turtle Island and its Ten Thousand Immortals while requiring continued accountability. Zhao Xuan becomes overseer of the tribulation, and the closing scene presents the East Sea as the setting of the sect's enduring community: disciples depart and return under the registers' rules, the Three Steles remain, and Biyou Palace's bell rings across the waters. 127 128

Relationships

• Golden Turtle Island — Jie Sect island and location of Biyou Palace; situated in the East Sea. 1
• Third Sea Eye — Critical East Sea formation point whose instability drives the conflict between the Jie Sect and Heavenly Court. 10 19
• East Sea Dragon Palace — Regional authority that depends on Qingxiaozi's suppression of the Sea Eye and later faces an accounting of its debts. 16 21
• Jie Sect — Longstanding protector of the East Sea, with disciples suppressing demons, managing formations, and responding to disasters. 1 11
• Heavenly Court — Claims jurisdiction over the Four Seas but proves unable to stabilize the Third Sea Eye without Jie Sect assistance. 16 19
• Qingxiaozi — Long-serving guardian of the Third Sea Eye who resumes suppression under sealed authority and protection against transferred blame. 11 19 21
• Lu Qing and Zhou Huai — Jie Sect disciples whose service and losses at the Third Sea Eye become evidence against the conversion of old merits into compulsory divine appointments. 43 44 45 50
• Three Steles — Accountability monuments outside Golden Turtle Island that make the East Sea a public forum for exposing debts, contested fates, and institutional responsibility. 23 24 111
• Chan Sect / Jade Emptiness — Challenges the Jie Sect's demands during the Sea Eye crisis, participates in the secret appointment policy, and becomes the opposing faction in the Antarctic Immortal confrontation. 17 54 90 92
• Western Sect — Maintains observers around Golden Turtle Island and is later exposed through the steles as seeking recruits amid the Chan-Jie conflict. 39 108
• Zhao Xuan and Tongtian — Lead the accountability campaign from Golden Turtle Island and return there after securing the sect's survival under the reformed Investiture system. 113 126 128

---