Mingzhu City

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Mingzhu City
Alias(es)	Zhu City (former name) 30
Status	Infiltrated by the Heavenly Fox Clan; later placed under siege by Living Corpses 2 43 46
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Geography and Layout

Mingzhu City was built where the Changsha River, Salt Mountain Valley, western iron-ore deposits, and northern mountains provide water, salt, metal, and meat resources. 21

Its construction is largely unregulated. Awakened-built structures can defy ordinary architectural principles, while densely packed buildings divide the streets into winding, maze-like roads. 14 31

Location	Significance
City Lord’s Manor	Residence and operational center of the Moon King, Prince Yue, and their Heavenly Fox forces during the infiltration. 18 19
Pearl Ability Academy	The city’s school for Awakened; Heavenly Foxes infiltrated both its students and faculty. 2 3
Iron Soul	Qiu Qiang’s blacksmith shop and Zhang Ping’s residence after leaving the academy; destroyed by Prince Yue. 7 39
Beast King Fist Hall	Major martial-arts hall frequented by adventurers; its master Feng Laixian later commands the southern-wall defense. 14 43 44
Arena Square	Site of the Cleanup Team’s ambush of Moon One, Moon Two, and Moon Three. 20
Vast Sea Academy	Long-established academy whose 1,645 members evacuate through a secret passage after Chen Juntaing’s abduction. 40

History

Two centuries earlier, Mingzhu City was known as Zhu City and ruled by the Beast-Taming Zhu Family. Under its rule, the population was enslaved, Awakened were exploited, and people were used as materials for supernatural equipment. 30

The Zhu Family was eventually overthrown, and Zhu City became Mingzhu City. Human sacrifice in artifact creation was subsequently restricted, though descendants and loyalists of the Zhu Family survived in secret. Their supporters concealed heirs, destroyed evidence, and preserved the family’s influence for generations. 30

The city also retains a heroic connection to Zhu Chiyang, an earlier Zhu Family leader who fused with the Sun Godbird during the Great Winter Cold Calamity and spent ten years carrying light and warmth between cities before dying of exhaustion. 41

Governance and Defense

Defensive Structure

Asset or organization	Role	Condition during the crisis
Sun-Moon Pearl	King’s Divine Artifact that should suppress a King-level invading Mutated Beast to top-tier strength within the city. 30	Failed to activate during the Moon King’s presence, strongly suggesting interference by human traitors. 30
Patrol Team	Regularly clears dangerous Mutated Beasts outside the city. 30	Completely replaced or slaughtered by Heavenly Foxes. 2 19
Investigation Team	Investigates threats beyond the city and forms part of its outer defense. 29 30	Nineteen of its twenty-two squads left the city; the remaining teams draw suspicion for their inactivity. 29
Cleanup Team	Secret organization combating the Heavenly Foxes and investigating the infiltration. 13 19	Operates covertly under Situ Shibai; its members are targeted by Prince Yue. 19 30
Martial arts halls and adventurers	Train combatants and maintain networks of former students and adventurers. 14	Assume responsibility for the walls when official leadership is absent. 43 44

Illusory Light Curtain

The Cleanup Team deploys the Illusory Light Curtain after Moon King enters false hibernation. The barrier divides Mingzhu City into eight regions, conceals human movements, and feeds false scenes to the Heavenly Foxes. 19

• Manny provides concealment.
• Chen Luowei creates visual illusions.
• Xu Jie supplies energy through Solar Charging and Energy Sharing. 19
• The three operators can sustain the curtain for only about a week before exhaustion becomes life-threatening. 19
• Prince Yue later counters its usefulness by patrolling the city with five eye-covered tails. 34

Heavenly Fox Infiltration

Heavenly Foxes infiltrate Mingzhu City by wearing human skin and altering victims’ cognition. Their racial abilities allow atrocities to appear mundane: a fox consuming a human arm may be perceived as an ordinary person eating chicken feet. 2

Their known innate abilities include:

• Cognitive Distortion — Alters the cognition and perception of living creatures. 2
• Conventionality Reversal — Forces observers to overlook acts that violate common sense. 2

The infiltration extends through schools, shops, the Patrol Team, and the City Lord’s Manor. Zhang Ping concludes early that the city has become an undefended hunting ground in which humans are treated as livestock. 2 5

The Moon King’s psychic influence may strengthen nearby Heavenly Foxes’ perception-distorting abilities, allowing even powerful Awakened to be deceived. 13

Living Corpse Siege

After the city’s defenses weaken, Living Corpses converge on Mingzhu City from all directions. The attacking force includes human and animal corpses, with some Awakened corpses still capable of using their former abilities. Their poison can infect victims through scratches. 43

• Initial estimates place the horde at more than 50,000; later scouting raises the estimate to 70,000–80,000. 43
• Decaying corpse crows carrying black mist attack from the east. 43
• Feng Laixian organizes the southern-wall defense, while Ao Donghai takes command of the eastern wall and other martial-arts masters assume responsibility for the remaining walls. 43
• Defenders organize into combat groups with separate healing and logistics personnel. 44
• A giant ape Living Corpse attacks the walls by hurling other corpses; Feng Laixian destroys it using Chaos Breath, melting the ground into lava. 44
• A stone palace dragged by hundreds of powerful Living Corpses later approaches the city, suggesting the siege has a hidden commander. 46

Notable Residents and Factions

• Situ Shibai — Cleanup Team captain and one of the few people able to operate the Sun-Moon Pearl. 30
• Liu Sishan — Cleanup Team operative who protects and trains Zhang Ping while investigating the infiltration. 13 20
• Prince Yue — Son of the Moon King and leader of the Heavenly Foxes’ operations outside the City Lord’s Manor. 18
• Moon King — King-level leader of the Heavenly Fox Clan whose presence previously deterred other Mutated Beasts from invading. 18 19
• Beast-Taming Zhu Family remnants — Hidden descendants of Zhu City’s former ruling family, suspected of sabotaging the Sun-Moon Pearl and aiding the Heavenly Fox invasion. 30 34
• Feng Laixian — Master of Beast King Fist Hall and commander of the southern-wall defense during the Living Corpse siege. 43 44