Lianwu Mountain

Biodata

Background / History

Lianwu Mountain originated from martial artists and small families shut out by the major sects' monopoly over martial arts knowledge. Some seized sect assets, hid in the mountains, and shared the techniques they had stolen. Over time, these outcasts formed the original Lianwu Mountain. 38

It developed into an assassin organization and a destination for martial artists seeking fame, bounties, or a livelihood. Prospective members took assassination jobs; only those with nowhere else to go and a record of completed missions were formally admitted into the Group of Fiends. This shared lack of alternatives made the organization fiercely united internally and brutal toward outsiders. 21 38

Behind its public identity, Lianwu Mountain worked for the Tianwu Holy Land. Rather than using the Holy Land's module-“farming” methods, it harvested modules directly through violence and killing. Its reputation was therefore too infamous to be easily rehabilitated. 23

As Hundred Flower Grave rose against the Holy Land, Lianwu Mountain planned to defect and present itself as a force resisting Outer Realm Demons. Hundred Flower Grave was willing to consider taking it in, but expected Lianwu Mountain to continue handling its dirty work. 23

Organization and Operations

• Group of Fiends — Lianwu Mountain's notorious formal membership. Members were martial artists with signature skills honed to a high level. Its slogan was: “When the Group of Fiends emerges, even the gods retreat.” 21
• Assassination contracts — The mountain accepted bounty work and used completed killings as a threshold for formal recruitment. 21 38
• Module harvesting — It carried out direct, violent module collection on behalf of the Tianwu Holy Land. 23
• Martial arts exchange — Its original members shared seized martial knowledge, defying the established sects' restrictions on transmitting techniques. 38
• Internal solidarity — Many members chose to fight to the death during its fall rather than flee, treating Lianwu Mountain as their only home. 38

Methods

Heaven-Patrolling Arrow

A Lianwu Mountain archery technique used during the battle at Lingfeng Tower. 38

• Requires the practitioner to develop Internal Force and “nurture” an arrow over time.
• The user must identify the target, gather detailed information about them, and obtain a personal item such as hair, blood, or clothing.
• The personal item is soaked in the user's Internal Force, which is then imbued into the arrow.
• Any contamination by an abnormal aura other than the user’s or target’s can cause cultivation of the technique to fail. 38

Relationships

• Tianwu Holy Land — Former patron. Lianwu Mountain performed violent module harvesting and other dirty work on its behalf. 23 37
• Hundred Flower Grave — Intended ally and prospective protector. Lianwu Mountain sought to join its anti-Holy Land movement, while Hundred Flower Grave expected it to remain a disposable enforcer. 23 37
• Luo Family — Longstanding enemies. Lianwu Mountain attempted to capture Luo Chuan to pressure the family into aligning with Hundred Flower Grave. 21 23
• Lu Bai / Lu Bo — Principal enemy in its downfall. He exposed its connection to the Holy Land, arranged the diversion that drew out its main force, and fought its remnants at Lingfeng Tower. 37 38 42
• Lin Haixian — Cooperated with Lu Bai after their duel to eliminate Lianwu Mountain’s remaining forces. 37 38
• Linjiang Academy — Participated in the plan surrounding Lianwu Mountain after delivering Lu Bai’s letter and being called upon to act. 37

Story Role / Major Arcs

Pursuit of Luo Chuan

Lianwu Mountain dispatched the Group of Fiends against Luo Chuan after he learned of its secret dealings with Hundred Flower Grave. Its goal was to capture him—not kill him—in order to weaken the Luo Family faction resisting an alliance with Hundred Flower Grave. 21 23

The Secret Alliance

Luo Chuan's knowledge revealed that Lianwu Mountain intended to defect to Hundred Flower Grave under the banner of resistance against Outer Realm Demons. Lu Bai recognized that public opinion and shared interests could still allow the organization’s crimes to be whitewashed. 23

Fall of Lianwu Mountain

Lu Bai used his duel with Lin Haixian as bait, concentrating Lianwu Mountain personnel at Lingfeng Tower while other forces raided its mountain base. News soon arrived that the mountain had fallen. 37

The remaining members launched an ambush and fought alongside their leader and archers at Lingfeng Tower. Despite their resistance, Hundred Flower Grave, local martial artists, Lu Bai, and Lin Haixian overwhelmed them; most were killed or buried in the conflict, while a small number escaped. 38 42

Trivia

• Lianwu Mountain is geographically categorized among the Martial Forest's Three Mountains, alongside the broader classification of “one Holy Land, two Valleys, three Mountains, four Families, six Rivers,” and other regional factions. 25
• Its members were known to regard themselves as alternatives to traditional sect dependence: rather than surrendering earnings and autonomy to established schools, they chose banditry and assassination. 38