Alliance

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Alliance (联盟)
Alias(es)	Heyang Rogue Cultivators' Alliance; Heyang Alliance; Heyang City Alliance
Type	Cultivator alliance and governing organization
Affiliation	Heyang City; independent cultivators
Occupation/Role	Protects and organizes Heyang City's cultivators; administers territory, industry, trade, education, and military forces
Leader	Qi He, Alliance Leader and Lord of Heyang City 460
Key Figure	Ye Xiu, Heyang City's pioneer and the Alliance's principal strategist and deterrent 871 919
Headquarters	Heyang City
Status	Active
First Appearance	Identified as the Heyang Rogue Cultivators' Alliance during negotiations with Divine Armory 392

Background & History

The Alliance emerged from independent cultivators seeking to survive and develop collectively rather than remain divided under the pressure of major sects. Qi He initially approached Divine Armory to negotiate cooperation, insisting that any agreement depend on acceptable terms for the rogue cultivators. Divine Armory promised to help build the Alliance's first factory if it could secure members under sufficient service contracts. 392 393

As Heyang City grew, the Alliance developed from a loose mutual-aid body into the city's central military, economic, and administrative power. Its early strength rested on firearm production, recruitment, standardized equipment, and the ability to turn independent cultivators into coordinated units. 410 450 495

During the exotic-beast crisis, Qi He publicly committed the Alliance to defending Heyang City rather than abandoning it. Ye Xiu subsequently sought to bind residents' personal interests to the city's survival, believing that generous benefits without responsibility could not create lasting loyalty. 460 465

The Alliance expanded rapidly during the war with the Soul Devouring Sect. It took over the sect's Heyang holdings, mobilized more than forty thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators, and placed the city under wartime control. 488 Its forces later repelled the Soul Devouring Sect's siege through rotating firearm formations and coordinated defensive fire. 495

After becoming a major regional power, the Alliance faced internal corruption, manpower shortages, and a widening gap between its founding ideals and the ambitions of newer members. Ye Xiu, Qi He, Ji Ye, and An Dongcheng responded through administrative reform, expanded recruitment, and the establishment of academies to train future officers. 810 811 821 839

The Alliance's Expeditionary Revenge Army later annihilated the Three Realms Sect. Its combination of standardized weapons, terminal-assisted command, trained officers, and squad tactics gave it a decisive advantage over traditional sect forces of similar cultivation realms. 886 892 897 919

Leadership and Administration

• Qi He — Alliance Leader and Lord of Heyang City; oversees military mobilization, rewards, recruitment, and the Alliance's public commitments. 460 488 919
• Ye Xiu — Heyang City's pioneer, strategic planner, and the Alliance's ultimate military deterrent. He guides expansion, reforms, diplomacy, industry, and large-scale warfare. 465 776 839
• Ji Ye — Senior Alliance figure involved in strategic discussions, personnel issues, and internal reform. 810 821
• An Dongcheng — Oversees major reform and expansion initiatives, including the five-year recruitment plan and academy system. 837 839

Documented Scale

Measure	Chapter	Details
Foundation Establishment mobilization	488	More than 40,000 Foundation Establishment cultivators were mobilized during wartime preparations.
Core Alliance personnel	738	The Alliance had slightly more than 300,000 members despite Heyang City's population exceeding ten million cultivators.
Expeditionary force	916	The Alliance assembled 100,000 screened, armed, and disciplined cultivators for its expedition.
Planned expansion	839	It announced an ambition to expand membership thirtyfold within five years through academy-based recruitment.

Principles and Membership

The Alliance presents itself as a collective formed by independent cultivators to defend their interests against exploitation by major sects. It emphasizes order, mutual aid, and the preservation of personal will. 842 845

• Membership selection is more complicated than entering a traditional sect, with evaluations of ability and loyalty. 842 888
• Members are permitted to leave; the Alliance rejects the sect practice of coercively binding or enslaving cultivators. 842
• Military merit provides an important path for promotion, as it is less controversial than ordinary advancement. 888
• The Alliance rewards notable service with spirit stones, pills, firearms, talismans, tax exemptions, and specialized equipment. 469 919
• Its stated ideal is that vulnerable cultivators should unite so that even the weak can retain dignity. 510

Armed Forces and Doctrine

The Alliance compensates for the uneven cultivation of independent cultivators through standard equipment, specialized training, disciplined formations, and centralized coordination.

• Most enlisted cultivators receive two long guns and two short firearms, supplemented by personal close-combat artifacts. 495
• Units train primarily in terrain-based positioning, overlapping fields of fire, rotation, and rapid replacement of exhausted cultivators. 495
• Firearms, ammunition, medicinal pills, talismans, and other supplies can be replenished during wartime preparation. 488
• Specialized scale armor can resist spells below the Foundation Establishment Realm; Spirit Guns are available in four spiritual-energy attribute variants and conceal bullets before impact. 776
• Command terminals support squad coordination and large-scale battlefield management. 742 892
• Academy-trained mid-level commanders are used to reorganize squads and adjust tactics during battle. 897

Major Operations

• Defense of Heyang City — Repelled exotic beasts and later resisted the Soul Devouring Sect's eight-branch siege through sustained rotating firepower. 460 495
• Lower District purge — Used elite teams, terminal-assisted identification, and overwhelming firearms to eliminate gang forces and restore order. 738 742
• Dragon Soul campaign — Deployed specialized armor, attribute-adapted Spirit Guns, liquid medicinal modifications, explosives, and warship support against dragon-transformed beasts. 774 776
• Three Realms Sect expedition — Advanced with a fleet, defeated the sect's defenders, and ultimately annihilated the Three Realms Sect. 892 897 919

Economy and Industry

The Alliance's growth is closely tied to Heyang City's trade, firearms industry, and ability to convert resources into military and civic capacity.

• Its first planned factory was to be jointly owned with Divine Armory after the initial alliance negotiations. 410
• Heyang City's market generated revenue through management taxes and trade with other sects. 481
• The Alliance established a spirit-stone storage service as demand for secure storage space increased. 803
• It later opened the Alliance Central Bank, offering guaranteed deposits and high interest rates to independent cultivators. 804
• Ye Xiu invested surplus spirit stones from Heyang City's prosperity into the Alliance and into the development of Longyun City. 803
• Resource exchanges with sect clans are conducted through regulated markets, with the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion serving as an intermediary in at least one Bai Clan agreement. 476

Academy and Reform

The Alliance Academy system was created to address its shortage of capable grassroots officials and reduce the concentration of power that had enabled corruption. 810 811 816

• The Human Resources Department recruits and trains future Alliance personnel for expanded administration of the Outer City. 837
• Academies select students through examinations and train them for independent administrative and command roles. 839
• Alliance-appointed instructors must account for half of academy instruction time, while cooperating sects may teach cultivation methods according to student aptitude. 842
• Students remain free to choose their destinations after graduation; the Alliance prohibits coercion or enslavement of academy students. 842
• Academy students receive practical assignments, including containing rumors harmful to the Alliance's development and preserving normal life in Heyang City. 871
• Academy-trained commanders proved crucial during the assault on the Three Realms Sect. 897

Internal Challenges

The Alliance's rapid expansion created persistent structural problems.

• A privileged class emerged within the Alliance and exploited concentrated authority, while educational resources were monopolized by entrenched interests. 810
• The organization struggled to govern Heyang City's enormous population with limited personnel, leaving the Lower Districts vulnerable to gangs and competing factions. 738 816
• Many newcomers sought Heyang City's benefits rather than its ideals, weakening loyalty to the Alliance's principles of order and mutual responsibility. 822
• The Alliance has faced firearm smuggling and corruption among its own officials, including the exposure of logistics official Zhou Zhengyun. 735 763
• Ye Xiu maintains loyal operatives among outside mercenaries to deter betrayal or attempted seizure of Alliance assets. 973

Relationships

• Divine Armory — Early strategic partner; offered to help the Heyang Rogue Cultivators' Alliance construct its first factory in exchange for contracted service commitments. 392 393
• Heavenly Secrets Pavilion — Provides promotion, intelligence, and intermediary services for Alliance-related trade. 467 476
• Myriad Clouds Sect — Potential intermediary for extending Heaven-Linking Railway routes and resource exchange into Northern Province. 761
• Radiant Thunder Sect — Negotiated with Ye Xiu for participation in Alliance operations connected to the Three Star Sect. 920
• Major sects — Simultaneously cooperate with, depend on, fear, and compete against the Alliance; many seek influence through academy partnerships and political ties. 839 841 842
• Independent cultivators — The Alliance's core constituency, though their varying loyalty and personal ambitions remain a central challenge. 822 915

Notable Quotes

“The Alliance will never abandon Heyang City. No matter how powerful the exotic beasts that arrive afterward may be, we will certainly resist with all our strength and protect every single person in this city!” — Qi He 460

“Alliance, victory in every battle!” 774

“The Alliance was, in essence, a collective formed by independent cultivators gathering together to fight for their interests.” 842