Great Zhou

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Great Zhou (大周)
Alias(es)	Great Zhou Dynasty
Type	Human imperial dynasty
Affiliation	Nine Nations Alliance 216
Status	Active; later described as the sole remaining empire among the original nine human kingdoms 339
Founder	Qin Muyun, later known as Emperor Taizu of Zhou 1 235
Founded	Approximately six centuries before Lu Changsheng's arrival 1
Territory	A realm of ninety-nine provinces stretching hundreds of millions of miles 156
Capital	Capital City
First Appearance	Chapter 1

History

Qin Muyun founded Great Zhou through martial conquest roughly six hundred years before the story begins. By the time Lu Changsheng arrives in Changping County, the aging emperor has withdrawn from court for three years, while hostile forces throughout the empire begin to move openly 1.

The dynasty's weakening authority leaves frontier regions vulnerable to banditry, cult activity, and local disorder. The Heavenly Demon Sect and allied forces view Great Zhou's decline as an opportunity to destroy its food supply, provoke famine, and collapse imperial rule from within 31 143 151.

As Great Zhou's dragon vein becomes unstable, fortune begins gathering around Heaven's Chosen and powerful martial artists across its ninety-nine provinces. This shift sparks an age of great contention, with ambitious cultivators, sects, and court officials competing for power while the imperial court faces growing rebellion and demonic pressure 157 159.

By the time Lu Changsheng enters the capital, senior officials believe the dynasty may endure only another ten to twenty years without a reversal. The near-collapse of neighboring Chen State demonstrates the scale of the approaching demonic catastrophe 193.

Great Zhou's position improves dramatically through Lu Changsheng's rise. After he becomes a Great Grandmaster, the court names him Wuling King, grants him command over Qingzhou's Demon Suppression Department and Black Armored Army, and gives him authority to execute first and report afterward 221. Following Qin Muyun's death, Qin Xinyan ascends the throne while Lu is elevated to Prince Qin and betrothed to Princess Qinghe 235.

The dynasty later becomes the principal human stronghold against the demon invasion. Although the Capital City falls during a large-scale demonic offensive, Great Zhou survives through the resistance of its imperial court, Demon Suppression Department, and Lu Changsheng's allies 319. In the following century, the original nine kingdoms disappear, leaving Great Zhou as the sole surviving empire and a center of renewed martial development 339.

Government and Institutions

Institution	Function
Imperial Court	The central ruling authority, led by the Zhou emperor and supported by officials, princes, and provincial administrations.
National Fortune Golden Dragon	The manifestation of Great Zhou's national fortune. It strengthens the reigning emperor and is closely tied to the dynasty's stability and military power 235 253.
Demon Suppression Department	The empire's principal martial organization against demonic forces, cults, and heretical sects. It maintains provincial halls and field personnel across Great Zhou 140 221.
Black Armored Army	Great Zhou's military force, deployed alongside the Demon Suppression Department in internal suppression and large-scale war 137 221.
Human Dao Sacred Sword	A fortune-linked imperial weapon used by Emperor Qin Muyun to intervene against powerful demonic threats 226 228.

Territory and Population

• Great Zhou initially encompasses ninety-nine provinces and hundreds of millions of miles of territory 156.
• Qingzhou is one of its provinces; Qingning Prefecture and Changping County lie within it 1 140.
• Changping County, despite being a frontier county, has several hundred thousand inhabitants 4.
• The empire's stability depends heavily on ordinary people retaining access to food; the Heavenly Demon Sect identifies this as Great Zhou's most critical vulnerability 143.
• Destruction of farmland causes grain shortages, hoarding, rising prices, and starvation across the dynasty 151.

National Fortune

Great Zhou's national fortune is represented by a Fortune Golden Dragon. It can empower the emperor, reinforce the dynasty's defenses, and influence the wider balance between humans and demons 235 253.

The weakening of this fortune undermines the empire's ability to suppress demons and monsters. Court officials fear that, should imperial authority collapse completely, demonic forces would emerge across the land unchecked 193.

Lu Changsheng's rise strengthens Great Zhou's standing. His status as a Great Grandmaster, later a Martial Saint, causes the dynasty's fortune to grow and gives the court a stabilizing protector during its most dangerous period 239 240.

Military Conflicts

Internal Disorder

Great Zhou struggles against bandits, sectarian factions, the Heavenly Demon Sect, and collaborators within local government and martial institutions. The court's diminishing authority allows such forces to expand, particularly in frontier areas 4 31 193.

War Against the Demon Race

After Chen State falls, Great Zhou becomes a primary target of the demon race. The imperial court mobilizes troops, provisions, martial artists, and allied experts toward Youzhou in preparation for invasion 252.

The defense of Youzhou City combines the Black Armored Army, rune-covered walls, Dao Weapon formations, and Martial Saint-level experts. Despite these measures, the city eventually falls, beginning a prolonged war across Great Zhou 253 254.

Nine Nations Alliance

Great Zhou is a member of the Nine Nations Alliance, a coalition of human states facing the demonic threat 216. Lu Changsheng defeats Great Qi's Gao Yunze for leadership of the alliance, placing Great Zhou at the center of the united human war effort 244.

Relationships

• Qin Muyun — Founder and long-ruling emperor of Great Zhou; his death triggers a succession crisis and the transfer of national fortune to Qin Xinyan 1 235.
• Qin Xinyan — Successor to Qin Muyun and later Emperor Zhou; rules alongside Lu Changsheng and Yin Haoran during the demon war 235 253.
• Lu Changsheng — Great Zhou's foremost protector; appointed Wuling King, later Prince Qin, with command over Qingzhou's Demon Suppression Department and Black Armored Army 221 235.
• Yin Haoran — Hall Master of the Demon Suppression Department and one of Great Zhou's principal defenders against demonic threats 222 235.
• Nine Nations Alliance — Allied human coalition of which Great Zhou is a member; later led by Lu Changsheng 216 244.
• Heavenly Demon Sect — Internal enemy that exploits Great Zhou's decline through rebellion, famine, and cooperation with demons 143 151.
• Demon Race — Great Zhou's primary external enemy during the later war, responsible for Chen State's fall and the assault on Youzhou and the Capital City 252 254 319.