Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Great Li Dynasty (大离) 23 |
| Type | One of the continent’s eight great dynasties 23 |
| Capital | Great Li Imperial City 24 27 |
| Territory | Includes Azure Province City 23 |
| Status | Active; drawn into the wider dynastic war 266 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 23 23 |
History
Great Li is described as the oldest of the eight dynasties, having endured for several thousand years 163. Roughly a thousand years before Su Yueli entered the Azure Cloud Ancient Kingdom Ruins, Great Li’s iron cavalry destroyed that kingdom 40.
The dynasty’s imperial family sponsored the Martial Dao Tournament, through which Su Yueli first gained recognition in the capital 23 38. Decades later, Zhao Yan lost the struggle for succession and was exiled to the northern frontier 88. The emperor subsequently ordered investigations into an unidentified powerful fighter operating in Great Li and into the escaped demon Motian Xing 134 173 203.
Great Li’s Fourteenth Realm protector, Zhao Xuankong, died fighting Motian Xing at Yin Mountain. His final request was that Su Yueli look after the dynasty 232. She suppressed an immediate succession crisis and later repelled an alliance demanding that Great Li surrender her 235 237 238.
Government and Martial Institutions
- Imperial family — The emperor rules from the Imperial City; Zhao Xuankong served as the family’s supreme protector until his death 173 227 232.
- Martial Dao Tournament — Held once every thirty years. Entrants must be mortal martial artists whose bone age does not exceed forty 23 27.
- Tournament rewards — Su Yueli received a token marking her as Great Li’s foremost Martial Dao genius and claimed access to an imperial weapon and a key to the Azure Cloud Ancient Kingdom Ruins 38 39.
- Imperial City lineages — The Pang, Lin, Yun, and Chu lineages were its foremost Martial Dao families during Su Yueli’s first tournament; immortal sects backed them 29.
- State Preceptor proposal — After Zhao Xuankong’s death, officials offered Su Yueli a rank equal to the emperor’s and access to the treasury. She refused to let the court use her protection to wage expansionist wars 239 240.
Later Conflicts
- Su Yueli agreed to consider defending Great Li against invasion, but warned officials not to claim her support for campaigns they initiated 239 240.
- King Dongping nevertheless captured Anyuan City with 100,000 soldiers while falsely claiming her authorization 246.
- During the widening wars, Han Yu defended Great Li’s border cities under Su Yueli’s instruction not to attack first or pursue enemies beyond the border 253 267.
- Great Li eventually entered the broader war after Great Liang seized its grain convoys and ignored repeated demands for their return 266.