Heyang City

Biodata

Population

Background / History

Heyang was nominally part of the territory ruled by the Rong Prince's Estate, but it was directly commanded by the Eldest Heir. Following the spiritual-energy tide, its spiritual plants, medicinal herbs, and mineral output surged. The Eldest Heir introduced additional cultivators, the Beast Sect, and the Aiding God, a Mountain God associated with vegetation and talented youths. Production initially multiplied, turning Heyang into a prominent county city. 322

The prosperity became exploitative. Taxes rose, human sacrifices continued, and former City Lord Zhou Nanyun's resistance was forced beneath the city, using extensive underground waterways to survive. Ye Xiu, acting as Mo Buping, joined the resistance after discovering that the sacrifices had resumed and publicly called for a counterattack. 324 325

Qi He and his allies eventually took control of Heyang City. Their early administration attracted people through ambitious promises of opportunity and equality, but rapid population growth, limited resources, and internal violence quickly strained the new order. Qi He later returned from securing Divine Armory's sponsorship to find the city mismanaged under Zhou Wei; he removed the corrupt leadership and vowed never to abandon the city's people again. 377 432 433

Heyang survived an encirclement by the Soul Devouring Sect, during which its walls were deliberately breached and much of the city was damaged. Reconstruction reshaped the city into a growing industrial and commercial center, while agreements with major sects brought outside resources and branch sects into the city. 494 504 654

Geography & Districts

• Dark River network — Underground waterways connect Heyang in all directions and provide the spiritual foundation supporting its fertile land. The resistance against the Eldest Heir's regime once used these tunnels as its refuge. 324 428
• Central district — The Alliance Government is centered on the White Pagoda, which serves as the city's political focal point. Nearby Inner City transit relies on short-rail, spirit-powered trains because casual spell use is restricted around the Alliance headquarters. 618 843
• Western district — Contains the Gun Foundry and is the city's only formally restricted area; the restriction is publicly justified as a safety measure during firearm forging. 464
• Pingyang Street — A central old street reserved for major sects. Qualified sects may establish branches, recruit disciples, trade, and enforce local rules, provided they do not violate Heyang City's foundational laws. 654
• Inner and Outer Cities — Heyang originally claimed no distinction between inner and outer districts, but unchecked development outside Alliance oversight eventually created a practical divide. The Outer City became a major source of population, commerce, and instability. 464 876
• Rail and transit links — The train station is a critical hub for migrants and raw materials; later railway construction connected Heyang to wider regional trade. 628 734

Governance & Law

The city is governed by the Alliance, an organization formed from independent cultivators and responsible for public order, industry, and long-term development. Qi He serves as both Lord of Heyang City and Alliance Leader, while Ji Ye and later An Dongcheng play major roles in administration and reform. 460 618 837

• The Alliance's administrative hall is accessible even to ordinary mortals, reflecting the city's stated principle that cultivators and mortals are equal participants in public life. 464 629
• Major sects once received special treatment, but the Alliance revoked that privilege and imposed stricter enforcement after sect interference and internal unrest. 612
• City laws are publicly discussed, patrols are expanded, and punishments are deliberately visible to deter violence and disorder. 628
• Heyang's residents approved laws that held even Alliance officials accountable; chief guard Tiger Cub was punished after causing an incident despite his position. 628 629
• The Alliance later announced a five-year plan to triple Heyang's size and expand its personnel thirtyfold to manage continued growth. 838

Economy & Infrastructure

Heyang City's prosperity is built on concentrated population, industry, transport, and a policy of treating independent cultivators and mortals as economic participants rather than expendable subjects.

• Gun Foundry — Firearms production became a key industrial foundation, attracting both business and hostile attention from factions seeking to seize or destroy it. 447 531
• Markets — The city developed specialized marketplaces, including a southern market across the Dark River and a northeastern materials market for rare and unusual goods. 477 803
• Resource exchange — Heyang acts as a neutral exchange ground for major sects, gathering requested resources for a price while avoiding favoritism between factions. 734 743
• Alliance Central Bank — Its savings business expanded among independent cultivators due to security, convenience, and interest, helping them form a counterweight to market manipulation by major sects. 805
• Land and reconstruction — After the Soul Devouring Sect war, cultivators bought land for grotto dwellings, while the city reorganized its markets into distinct districts to stimulate circulation and demand. 504
• Public investment — Spirit stones were spent on roads, social support for vulnerable residents, and City Lord's Hall improvements; Ye Xiu considered these expenditures necessary for stability and civic authority. 442

Society

Heyang City's appeal rests on opportunities largely unavailable elsewhere: access to trade, cultivation resources, employment, and more equitable treatment for ordinary people and independent cultivators. This reputation drew immense migration, but also created expectations the Alliance could not always satisfy. 629

The city's early residents retained strong loyalty because Heyang gave them security, income, cultivation opportunities, and a home when they had nowhere else to go. Later arrivals often viewed those same benefits as an entitlement rather than a gift, creating tension between old residents, newcomers, Alliance officials, merchants, and sect cultivators. 629

The Alliance gradually shifted leadership toward younger, educated cultivators with ambition and adaptability. It also established an academy open to qualified Inner City residents, Outer City residents, and sect cultivators temporarily living in the city. 618 847

Major Conflicts

• Eldest Heir and cult occupation — Excessive taxation and human sacrifice drove Heyang's original resistance underground until Ye Xiu helped organize the counterattack. 324 325
• Early administrative corruption — Zhou Wei's misrule divided cultivators and mortals and left the city in disarray until Qi He's return. 432 433
• Exotic beast threat — A bizarre monster and later beast tides threatened the city during its rapid development, testing Qi He's pledge to protect all residents. 449 460
• Soul Devouring Sect siege — The sect encircled Heyang with large-scale spells and Nascent Soul cultivators; the resulting battle heavily damaged the city but ended with the Alliance's survival and reconstruction. 494 504
• Major sect confrontation — After sect privileges were curtailed, a major sect attacked Heyang. Qi He injured a late Golden Core elder, while Ji Ye led the retaliation. 612
• Three Realms Sect conspiracy — Multiple sects were implicated in actions that endangered Heyang's stability, leading to public outrage and a wider conflict with the Three Realms Sect. 874 881 885

Key Associations

• Rogue Cultivators' Alliance — Heyang's governing organization, formed from independent cultivators and responsible for the city's laws, defense, industry, and expansion. 449 614
• Qi He — Lord of Heyang City and Alliance Leader; he took responsibility for the city's failures and publicly swore to protect its residents. 433 460
• Ye Xiu / Mo Buping — Founder and guiding figure whose reputation, military strength, and long-term planning remain central to the city's legitimacy. 637 838
• Ji Ye — Alliance leader and administrator who helped maintain order, train younger talent, and defend the city's autonomy against major sects. 614 618
• Major sects — Economic partners and political rivals. They maintain reserved districts within Heyang but depend on the city as a stable trade center. 654 881
• Divine Armory — Sponsor and source of technology whose support helped accelerate Heyang's industrial development. 432 502

Trivia

• Ye Xiu can observe the entire city from a steel throne in a palace at the deepest point of the Dark River, using it to extend his divine sense. 618
• The city became known for white-robed sword-cultivator imitators inspired by Ye Xiu's public image. 637
• Heyang's prosperity is significant enough that many major sects consider its destruction unacceptable, even when they oppose the Alliance politically. 614 734