Divine Firmament Sword Sect

Biodata

Organization and Membership

Leadership

Recruitment and Advancement

• Spiritual-root testing: Recruits are tested with a stone. Both Ying Huaixu and Ye Ningshuang initially register as having low-grade roots, although Ye Ningshuang’s Dark Mystery Spiritual Root requires natural treasures to awaken 10.
• Outer discipleship: Lü Qingyi accepts both recruits and gives them outer disciple tokens. Their formal registration takes place after arrival at the sect 10 18.
• Personal discipleship: Admission does not guarantee a master. The core members decline to teach Ying Huaixu because of his apparent aptitude, leaving him to prove himself after joining 17.
• Inner discipleship: He Xiuyuan expects promotion after reaching Meridian Opening and is later shown living in the inner sect 36 50.
• Basic provisions: Every new disciple receives the Heavenly Dipper Body Tempering Art and a Storage Bag 20 29.
• Contribution system: Sect work earns contribution points, recorded on disciple tokens. Pill Room cleaning pays ten contribution per day; Ying Huaixu also exchanges items for contribution to obtain a meridian-opening cultivation method 22 49.
• Merit-based advancement: Positions must be earned through personal strength rather than family connections. Qiu Shiyi presents this as a deliberate rejection of the former leadership’s nepotism 86.
• Monthly stipend: An ordinary inner disciple receives about one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones per month. Body-tempering pills and paid Sword Tower entry nevertheless consume substantial amounts for disciples pursuing their limits 74.
• Mining-based entry: Ascenders work in the sect’s enormous mines, and some wish to continue mining even after joining the outer sect. The later Divine Firmament Administration Office publicly states that applicants must first mine and clearly posts the pay 169 398.
• Wartime affiliation: During preparations for the Sect Defense Battle, outsiders may shelter at the sect, but applications to join are deferred until after the fighting so their conduct can be assessed 404.
• Strict screening: Ying Huaixu supports retaining the Questioning Heart Formation’s rejection of applicants seeking an idle life, refusing to dilute the sect’s culture merely to accommodate recruitment demand 431.
• Subordinate sects: Small sects that helped during the Sect Defense Battle receive benefits and subordinate-sect status. They are assigned Ascenders and other recruits to train as Ying Huaixu coordinates the distribution of new disciples among nearby factions 431.

Notable Members

• Ying Huaixu — Outer disciple recruited after killing the wanted criminal in Peaceful Town. Lü Qingyi supports him despite his apparently low-grade spiritual root 10 16 17. He later becomes He Xixiang’s personal disciple and the sect’s Holy Son, earning exceptional loyalty through his support of other disciples 157 168 398.
• Ye Ningshuang — Prophecy-backed recruit whose development is a major concern for the leadership. The core members insist that Lü Qingyi devote her full attention to teaching her 11 17.
• He Xiuyuan — Son of the Great Sun Holy Lord. After destroying his previous cultivation, he joins as an outer disciple to succeed without his father’s support; he later enters the inner sect 37 50. He subsequently explains that seeking refuge with his aunt was also a reason for joining 86.
• Qiu Shiyi — Peak Spirit Sea Realm cultivator known as the Little Killing God. Commands the large deployment to Falling Radiance City 42 45. His reputation extends across the Primordial Chaos Continent, where he is reputed to be invincible in the Spirit Sea Realm 110.
• Huang Tianqi — Pill Room alchemist whose repeated failures contrast with his confidence in his talent. He supplies Ying Huaixu with pill formulas and later watches his successful automated refining 23 49. Later leads powerful disciple groups and reaches the Spirit Sea Realm without the lightning tribulation Qiu Shiyi expects, attributing the difference to his cultivation method 106 143 232.
• Qin Erniu — Disciple who fights alongside Huang Tianqi against Ten Thousand Buddha Mountain and the Azure Sea Flood Dragon. Later shares a new cultivation technique with He Xiuyuan and becomes one of the peers He Xiuyuan strives to catch up with 187 271 340.
• Chen Zhiyuan — Plays a crucial role in the disciples’ collective study of cultivation methods and Divine Abilities. Accompanies Ying Huaixu to Demon-Suppressing Pass and helps seal Cold Mountain Temple against escape 222 226 234.
• Xia Tong — Holds a Divine Firmament Sword Sect Guest Token. At six years old, declines the Taiyin Old Ancestor’s recruitment and subsequently fights Outsiders beside him 469.

Rules and Reputation

The sect combines protection of its own members with uncompromising violence toward perceived evildoers. Xu Yaoyang describes it as openly stating its actions, leaving the world to judge them, and intervening whenever something wreaks havoc. He also warns that retaliation against its disciples could bring destruction upon an offending family 35.

Internally, the sect is presented as comparatively fair: it does not routinely bully weak disciples, and outer disciples are not automatically mocked or scorned by the inner sect 17 50.

• No harassment of fellow disciples: Rules forbid provoking trouble or insulting other disciples out of jealousy or other motives 26.
• Protection of members’ possessions: Lü Qingyi assures Ying Huaixu that possessing valuable treasures will not make him a target within the sect; stealing sect members’ property outside it also carries consequences 16.
• Accepted missions must be carried out: Ye Ningshuang remains obligated to undertake a dangerous mission even after accepting it accidentally 29.
• No littering: Disciples must not litter inside or outside the sect. Corpses are explicitly exempt from cleanup; Lü Qingyi established the rule 43.
• Personal relationships remain personal: Lü Qingyi refuses to separate Ying Huaixu and Ye Ningshuang over concerns about their differing prospects, insisting that any decision belongs to them 11.
• No framing or predation on fellow workers: Framing another disciple is investigated to the end and punished by execution. Thieves and would-be murderers who target fellow miners’ earnings are also killed 169.
• Equal accountability: Men and women are subject to the same rules and punishments. Lü Qingyi does not permit gender-based privileges, while leaving private conduct outside the scope of disciplinary interference 407.
• Mutual assistance: Disciples openly share methods, experiences, and explanations of their progress rather than hoarding them. Another disciple’s opportunity is treated as a potential source of collective strength, although helping others is described as voluntary 169 370.
• Mission oversight: He Xiuyuan refuses to post Ying Huaixu’s proposed hunt against Cold Mountain Temple without approval from the sect’s superiors, prompting an investigation through Qiu Shiyi 69.

Its reputation is strong enough that a bandit doubts He Xiuyuan’s identity precisely because he tries to reason with them: the bandit expects genuine Divine Firmament disciples to kill evildoers without negotiation 28.

By the Star Sea Secret Realm aftermath, this reputation also produces considerable public goodwill. Although the sect does not style itself as a righteous sect, its presence is associated with peace and order. When accusations claim that it killed several factions’ leading disciples, many listeners first suspect that the alleged victims must have committed grave wrongdoing or provoked it 318.

The sect’s strict rules are not universally popular. Some rogue cultivators resent its restrictions on behavior they consider normal in the cultivation world, while others flee toward its territory when the Outsiders’ threat becomes apparent 407. Its operating model nevertheless becomes influential enough for other sects to imitate 430.

In the Dream Continent, the disciples initially terrify locals with their enthusiasm for slaughtering demonic beasts. Their conduct subsequently earns a more favorable assessment: they pay for goods, refrain from robbing ordinary cultivators, and improve public safety. Their harsh language and disdainful manner coexist with genuine generosity, including a disciple giving a poor girl spirit stones without taking her treasured pendant 522.

Grounds and Resources

The sect’s territory is sufficiently resource-rich that its disciples have little reason to visit the distant Great Sun Sacred Ground. Ying Huaixu considers other places comparatively barren 292.

The sect also investigates the benefits of vegetation growing after Outsiders die. It refines pills from those herbs and medicines, then demonstrates their ability to improve a mediocre Body Tempering cultivator’s physique and foundation without substantially increasing his cultivation realm 511.

Abilities and Military Capabilities

Sword Cultivation

• Disciples travel and fight with flying swords, including coordinated attacks against fleeing enemies 10 45 46.
• Available techniques include Frost Step and Heavenly Frost Sword, while Heavenly Dipper Body Tempering Art is standard training for new disciples 20.
• Qiu Shiyi can turn a single water droplet into citywide rain composed of tiny swords 45.
• Qiu Shiyi later condenses rain into a giant sword to kill a Spirit Sea attacker and disperses water swords to eliminate the other hidden Spirit Sea enemies 110.
• Sea of Qi disciples wield Supreme-Quality Magical Artifact Flying Swords capable of cutting apart Ten Thousand Buddha Mountain’s Golden Body Dharma Aspects 187.
• Lü Qingyi personally created the Shenxiao Dao Evolution True Art. Disciples recognize its use by an unaffiliated woman and immediately question how she obtained it 509.

Lockdown and Judgment Formations

The sect deploys white jade pillars to establish a citywide lockdown incorporating the Questioning Heart Formation and Sin-Severing Formation 43.

• People able to pass the formations may leave; those carrying the qualifying karmic sins are trapped 43.
• He Xiuyuan explains that the formations condemn people who have committed evil for at least three years 45.
• During the Falling Radiance City operation, the sect allows one day for evacuation before killing those who remain 43 45.
• The lockdown seals routes above and below ground, preventing even the concealed city lord from escaping the city 46.
• The sect treats the possibility of Xue Si bypassing the Questioning Heart and Sin-Severing Formations as an intelligence concern, choosing to observe her attempted infiltration rather than expose her immediately 74.
• Chen Zhiyuan deploys formation flags around Cold Mountain Temple to prevent its occupants from escaping during the sect’s assault 234.
• The Questioning Heart Formation also serves recruitment screening, rejecting candidates whose intentions do not meet the sect’s standards 431.

Large-Scale Deployment

• The sect can send warships and a sky-filling force of sword-riding disciples in response to intelligence reports 42.
• Its troops guard city gates and even small gaps while other disciples remain airborne 43.
• Qiu Shiyi supervises the operation while disciples hunt surviving enemies; inner disciples also eliminate opponents too strong for Ye Ningshuang 45 46.
• Powerful concealment remains a limitation: the city lord temporarily evades Qiu Shiyi’s spiritual sense despite being trapped inside the perimeter 46.
• Peak masters can blockade the entrances of multiple major sects while He Xixiang remains behind to deter a raid on their own headquarters 241.
• During the Sect Defense Battle, massed sword formations destroy charging enemies before reorganizing into four triangular formations for a counteroffensive 412.
• Disciples below Return to True display overwhelming advantages over their counterparts from the four attacking forces. Return to True cultivators initially struggle more, but use Revival Pills to hold their enemies in place 412 413 414.
• Revival Pills permit near-death disciples to self-destruct, damage groups of enemies, and return to battle. The sect’s fighters remain in peak condition while their opponents suffer mounting attrition 413.
• In the later hunt across Primordial Chaos, disciple tokens directly display Outsiders’ locations, greatly reducing their ability to hide or escape 509.

Collective Training and Development

Ying Huaixu cultivates the sect as a reliable force for future missions, team battles, and raids. He distributes rewards, provides resources and equipment, encourages disciples not to underestimate themselves, and creates demanding training opportunities. His fellow disciples’ victories also supply him with experience, making their advancement mutually beneficial 69 152 157 221 397.

• Relentless practice: Disciples use secret-realm traps to temper their bodies and test techniques, compete for Sword Tower access, and even cultivate while struggling to dismantle an exceptionally durable beast corpse 114 145 154.
• Reassessment of limits: The record of Ying Huaixu’s Cold Pool Secret Realm battles exposes the inadequacy of their previous standards. Disciples begin prioritizing the maximum combat strength attainable within each realm rather than merely comparing themselves with other sects 221.
• Collective research: Exceptional comprehenders study the sect’s cultivation methods and Divine Abilities together, with Chen Zhiyuan playing a crucial role 222.
• Revised cultivation: Qin Erniu distributes a new technique that raises the disciples’ baseline strength. Later, disciples spend vast resources cultivating anew after recognizing how poorly they had used their potential 271 364.
• Life Simulation experience: Illusory Dream’s Life Simulations give disciples a lifetime of experience against Outsiders. By the later campaign, actual Outsiders provide far less resistance than their simulated counterparts 509.

Senior Defenders and Limitations

Lü Qingyi’s personal strength underpins the sect’s standing. The Thousand Mechanisms Sect Leader recalls her suppressing her entire generation, seizing the Heavenly Snow Sacred Land’s supreme elder with one hand, and remaining formidable despite a failed tribulation transcendence. An account of the sixth senior sister single-handedly toppling a sacred land further reinforces the sect’s deterrent reputation 123.

He Xixiang can hold off several powerful opponents, but acknowledges that her spells and Divine Abilities are comparatively ordinary and that she has difficulty tracking enemies who escape through Blood Shield. Such fugitives could threaten Zhuang Mu and the other defenders 220.

Lü Qingyi’s severe Great Dao Injury and seclusion later encourage hostile factions to regard He Xixiang as the principal remaining obstacle to a coordinated attack 372. Changes to heaven and earth nevertheless increase the peak masters’ strength severalfold even without raising their cultivation realms 396.

Demonic Beast Companions

During the worldwide upheaval among demonic beasts, large numbers enter the sect’s territory but become peaceful upon arrival. Many actively seek contracts with its disciples, apparently treating the territory as a refuge. By this point, even outer disciples have demonic beast companions 396.

Power Progression

Relationships

• Thousand Mechanisms Sect — Blood-feud enemy. Accusations of copying and the White Jade Scholar’s violent retaliation deepen the hostility; the two sects monitor each other’s powerful members 29 30. Its involvement with descending enemies and repeated attempts against Ye Ningshuang make open war appear inevitable to its own leadership 71 123.
• Great Sun Sacred Ground — Connected through He Xiuyuan’s family and former affiliation. Its Holy Son, Xu Yaoyang, offers assistance with the sect’s mission, but He Xiuyuan refuses to rely on his former sacred ground 37. Xu Yaoyang later persuades the Great Sun Saint Lord not to participate in an attack on the sword sect; his subsequent grant of authority is understood as a signal of willingness to assist during the coming crisis 262 377.
• Peaceful Town and Qinghe County — Communities within the sect’s territory. The sect dispatches a disciple against the wanted criminal operating there 8.
• Falling Radiance City — Nearby city outside its jurisdiction. Its lord conspires with the Thousand Mechanisms Sect to lure Divine Firmament disciples into a blood-sacrifice plot 41.
• Xu family — Mortal family warned against provoking the sect. Xu Yaoyang arranges compensation and encourages hospitality toward its disciples to build goodwill 34 35.
• Cold Mountain Temple — Investigated after Ying Huaixu raises suspicions about its flood dragon. Qiu Shiyi later attacks it for colluding with the Thousand Mechanisms Sect and slaughtering living beings to feed a demon dragon 69 234.
• Ten Thousand Buddha Mountain — Sends would-be assassins against Ye Ningshuang and clashes with sword sect disciples in the Cold Pool Secret Realm after accepting the Azure Sea Flood Dragon’s manipulation 110 187.
• Feathered Immortal Sacred Land — Participates in attempts to assassinate Ye Ningshuang. Later welcomes the Outsiders after its Old Ancestor judges that the Divine Firmament Sword Sect cannot win 110 403.
• Ancestral Dragon Sacred Land and Ten Thousand Demons Sacred Land — Named among the factions sending assassins against Ye Ningshuang 110. The Ten Thousand Demons Sacred Land later receives a Savage Beast Blood Pool from the Beast Gods as part of preparations for war against the sect 357.
• Star-Seizing Sect — Develops cooperation with the sword sect. Zhuang Mu urges it to protect its Holy Son and Saintess, and its leadership later recognizes the strategic value of their alliance and Ying Huaixu’s negotiations 318 362.
• Taiyin Sacred Land — Ally associated with Tai Wangshu. She declines recruitment into the sword sect because remaining in her own sacred land protects their alliance on two fronts, then argues that the Taiyin Sacred Land must tie its fate to the sword sect against the Outsiders 340 372. Commercial cooperation includes a deal for Taiyin dew 387.
• Shura Hall — Initially an assassination enemy whose operatives hold back after witnessing the sect’s strength. During the Outsider invasion, its master chooses an alliance with the sword sect; Ying Huaixu requires an oath before discussing cooperation and asks what resources it can contribute 110 403.
• Great Yu and Demon-Suppressing Pass — The pass’s general appeals to the sect after the Taiyin Sacred Land ignores requests for aid, promising that Great Yu will honor it as overlord sect if the pass survives. The sect replies that Ying Huaixu and Chen Zhiyuan have already been dispatched 226.
• Outsiders / Extraterrestrial Demons — View the sect as an obstacle to their descent and control of the world. Early infiltrators cannot penetrate it, and descending Annihilation Envoys are killed. Later enemy leaders plan a proxy war to eliminate Ying Huaixu and prevent the world’s inhabitants from awakening 71 357. The sect subsequently becomes a major rallying point against them and hunts their surviving forces across Primordial Chaos 403 509 522.
• Dream Continent communities — Initially fear the sect’s disciples, then benefit from reduced beast attacks, safer travel and commerce, restored fishing opportunities, and the disciples’ spending 522.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Founding and Historical Revivals

According to the Star-Seizing Ancestor, the Divine Firmament Sword Sect was the foremost sect after the world first came into being. Its history repeatedly alternates between decline and resurgence, with an exceptional figure emerging whenever collapse appears imminent 242.

A later account links its origins to Cheng Yingtian, who ended the age of savage beasts and taught cultivation methods to the Human Race. While other disciples founded separate sects, the Cheng Lineage established the Divine Firmament Sword Sect 362.

Lü Qingyi’s Reformation

Under the former sect master, personal connections determined appointments, fostering infighting and corruption. Lü Qingyi suffered bullying, sexual predation, assassination attempts, and slander after killing her persecutors, including the son of someone from a main peak. The Grand Ancestor eventually noticed her and accepted her as his final disciple, but the persecution did not immediately cease 86.

After becoming strong enough, she purged the former sect master and offenders across the main peaks. She then forced her senior brothers and sisters to take responsibility as sect master and peak lords, establishing the leadership and operating culture seen in the main story 86.

Her wider campaign against hostile forces nearly reset the Human Race’s cultivators before Heavenly Dao Power stopped her. Later observers emphasize that Lü Qingyi made the modern sect what it is, rather than merely benefiting from its existing position 281 362. Other factions eventually begin copying her reforms 430.

Peaceful Town Recruitment

The sect’s mission is specifically to recruit Ye Ningshuang, whose significance has been foretold by its ancestor. Lü Qingyi confirms her spiritual root and also admits Ying Huaixu, who has already killed the local wanted criminal 10 11.

Before departure, Lü Qingyi tries unsuccessfully to secure a personal master for Ying Huaixu. The senior members agree to his admission but insist that Ye Ningshuang’s training take priority. Both recruits then travel to the sect and formally register 17 18.

Preparations for Ye Ningshuang’s Future

The leadership believes Ye Ningshuang must reach Meridian Opening within three years and fears failing the Grand Ancestor’s prophecy. Lü Qingyi nevertheless resists interference with her teaching arrangements 19 27.

When Ye Ningshuang accepts a dangerous mission, the sect master objects. Lü Qingyi argues that He Xiuyuan can protect her and states that she will follow personally to protect and assess the recruit. She refuses to guarantee acceptance as her personal disciple unless Ye Ningshuang satisfies her 27.

Falling Radiance City

The Thousand Mechanisms Sect plans to summon the Annihilation Envoy and use Divine Firmament disciples as food. Its scheme assumes the sword sect will send only a limited force to a small mortal city 30 41.

After Ying Huaixu and He Xiuyuan submit an expanded intelligence report, the sect instead sends warships, numerous disciples, and Qiu Shiyi. They seal the city, allow qualifying inhabitants to evacuate, and launch their purge after the deadline 42 43 45.

The city lord reveals his blood-shadow escape technique when attacked, temporarily eluding Qiu Shiyi’s detection. After he is dealt with, Qiu Shiyi publicly awards He Xiuyuan the greatest credit for slaying the fiend, and the sect intends to confront the Thousand Mechanisms Sect directly 46 48.

Disciple Development and Infiltration Countermeasures

Ying Huaixu begins deliberately strengthening other disciples, giving away his share of hunting rewards and seeking more efficient missions. When He Xiuyuan will not approve a hunt against Cold Mountain Temple on his own authority, Ying Huaixu asks Qiu Shiyi to investigate 69.

After the Black Cloud Crow hunt, he warns that Xue Si is a suspicious descender connected to the Thousand Mechanisms Sect who may attempt infiltration. Rather than expose her at once, the sect decides to observe how she might bypass its judgment formations. She subsequently appears before the party wounded and apparently unconscious 74.

Ying Huaixu’s assistance and encouragement transform the training atmosphere. Disciples compete for Sword Tower access, openly seek his advice, and regard their own shortcomings as room for improvement rather than proof of inadequate talent 154 157. Zhuang Mu formally recognizes his contribution by appointing him Holy Son and describing his work as a positive cycle built upon Lü Qingyi’s rules 168.

Assassination Attempts against Ye Ningshuang

Ying Huaixu gathers powerful disciples who swiftly kill black-clad attackers targeting Ye Ningshuang. Huang Tianqi leads their attack, while Qiu Shiyi reports the disciples’ increasingly extreme behavior to Lü Qingyi 106.

Further assassins arrive from the Thousand Mechanisms Sect, Ten Thousand Buddha Mountain, the Feathered Immortal Sacred Land, the Ancestral Dragon Sacred Land, and the Ten Thousand Demons Sacred Land. Shura Hall’s local leader holds his people back after recognizing the danger. The sword sect’s Meridian Opening disciples slaughter their counterparts, while Qiu Shiyi kills the hostile Spirit Sea cultivators with rain-formed swords 110.

Secret-Realm Trials and the Cold Pool Aftermath

Before an earlier secret-realm expedition, little-known sword sect disciples defeat prominent geniuses with single sword strikes. Inside, they treat dangerous traps as opportunities to temper their bodies and test their techniques 144 145.

At the Cold Pool Secret Realm, Tong Xinran brings disciples covered in layers of defensive talismans and warns the other factions that the realm has changed. Most mock the precautions, but the Great Sun Sacred Ground and Star-Seizing Sect prepare defenses 172.

Within the realm, Qin Erniu and Huang Tianqi fight Ten Thousand Buddha Mountain’s disciples and resist the Azure Sea Flood Dragon. Their Supreme-Quality Flying Swords rapidly destroy the opposing Golden Body Dharma Aspects, although the dragon’s sneak attack injures Qin Erniu and forces a retreat 187.

Afterward, the sect circulates a record of Ying Huaixu’s achievements. His fellow disciples confront how far they remain from their potential despite receiving resources, equipment, and training grounds. The resulting wave of intensive practice leads them to perceive denser spiritual energy and question the restrictions that previously seemed natural. Collective research into cultivation methods follows 221 222.

Demon-Suppressing Pass and Cold Mountain Temple

The general of Demon-Suppressing Pass appeals to the sword sect after receiving no help from the Taiyin Sacred Land. Ying Huaixu and Chen Zhiyuan arrive at the devastated pass, where Ying Huaixu discovers blood soul crystals beneath the walls 226.

The subsequent move against Cold Mountain Temple brings Qiu Shiyi and Chen Zhiyuan into coordinated action. Qiu Shiyi accuses the temple of colluding with the Thousand Mechanisms Sect and feeding a demon dragon with slaughtered lives, while Chen Zhiyuan seals the grounds to prevent escape 234.

Pressure on Rival Sects and the Star Sea Secret Realm

The sect stations peak masters outside major factions’ entrances while He Xixiang guards its headquarters. Rival factions outwardly accept this pressure while secretly accumulating strength for a future strike 241 255 262.

In the Star Sea Secret Realm, Ying Huaixu anticipates that the plotters may try to blame the sword sect for the deaths of trapped geniuses 292. When disciples later accuse it of killing the Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s Holy Son, Ten Thousand Buddha Mountain’s Buddha Son, and He Fangxu, the affected factions rapidly deny the accusations and attribute the deaths to the Star-Devouring Clan. Their response deprives He Xixiang of the justification she sought for attacking them 318.

Anti-Outsider Coalition

Extraterrestrial leaders plan to strengthen their agents and provoke a devastating war against the sect, seeking to kill Ying Huaixu and prevent the world’s people from awakening 357.

Ying Huaixu negotiates partnerships as the disciples intensify their preparation. Recognizing the inadequacy of their former cultivation, they spend vast resources cultivating anew 362 364. Tai Wangshu presses the Taiyin Sacred Land to ally with the sword sect, arguing that neutrality offers no safety from the Outsiders 372.

As the invasion forces factions to choose sides, some support the sword sect while others welcome the Outsiders. Shura Hall chooses cooperation despite its former enmity, with Ying Huaixu requiring an oath before negotiations proceed 403. He also defers admission of would-be members until their conduct in the approaching battle can be judged 404.

Sect Defense Battle

Four forces bombard the sect’s protective formation with massive artillery. Zhuang Mu counters by assembling the Nine Divine Swords into a formation that manifests a golden Dharma Aspect and releases massed Sword Qi 412.

When the attackers’ disciples charge, the sword sect’s coordinated formations turn the assault into a massacre. Its fighters then reorganize into four triangular formations and counterattack alongside the peak masters. Its Spirit Manifestation fighters overwhelm their opponents, while Return to True experts face a more difficult battle against multiple enemies 412.

Revival Pills allow even the hard-pressed defenders to fight without fear of death. Disciples self-destruct when near death, return, and maintain pressure while the attackers’ forces dwindle. By the next stage, almost all of the invading disciples below Return to True have been killed 413 414.

After the battle, Ying Huaixu arranges rewards and subordinate status for small sects that contributed. He coordinates the distribution of recruits and Ascenders while maintaining strict standards for admission to the sword sect itself 431.

Hunt across Primordial Chaos

Ying Huaixu orders disciples to hunt Outsiders after confirming that blood energy is gathering toward Heart-Questioning Valley. Tokens reveal the enemies’ locations, and the disciples’ Life Simulation experience makes the actual fighting far easier than their training 509.

The campaign becomes familiar enough that locals watch Outsiders being dragged into the streets and killed while continuing their daily activities. In Yingchun City, disciples allow a veiled woman to punish a captive Outsider, then surround and question her after recognizing Lü Qingyi’s self-created cultivation technique 509.

By the time of the Dream Continent expedition, the disciples have eliminated nearly all the Outsiders they can locate, although scattered survivors may remain 522.

Dream Continent Expedition

After entering the Dream Continent with Ying Huaixu’s permission, disciples fan out to hunt its demonic beasts. Stronger fighters deliberately leave weaker targets for Spirit Aspect and Spirit Sea disciples to practice on. Within days, most of the continent’s beasts have been cleared 522.

The locals initially mistake the disciples’ bloody enthusiasm for indiscriminate cruelty. Their assessment changes as beast threats vanish, fishermen return to sea, commerce improves, and the visitors pay rather than seize goods. The sect’s enormous wealth and high-grade equipment further astonish the continent’s cultivators 522.

Divergent Future Recounted by Third Martial Uncle

A separate disastrous course of events recounted by Third Martial Uncle must be distinguished from the main story’s outcomes. In that account, He Xiuyuan dies at Falling Radiance City, almost everyone entering the Cold Pool Secret Realm is killed, and an Outsider invasion eventually overwhelms the native forces 490.

During the ensuing century of war, the sect’s peak lords fall one after another, its headquarters is breached, and Lü Qingyi disappears after falling from beyond the heavens. Ye Ningshuang and Xu Yaoyang establish the last remaining sanctuary for the world’s native forces 490.

Trivia

• Players of the Divine Firmament Sword Sect jokingly call themselves members of the Heavenly Court because of its monumental entrance 18.
• Formally registering at the sect completes Ying Huaixu’s mission prologue; merely receiving an outer disciple token does not 12 18.
• During the Falling Radiance City mission, kills made by other sect disciples grant Ying Huaixu experience, revealing that he can benefit from large battles without personally striking every enemy 45.
• Fully revealing the sect’s map grants Ying Huaixu an achievement worth three hundred experience 20.
• The disciples’ robes bear golden sword insignias recognizable to other cultivators 139.
• Ying Huaixu is widely addressed as Sister Ying. His reputation for wanting what is best for fellow disciples eventually spreads beyond the sect, helped by Zhuang Mu’s frequent praise 157 469.
• By the establishment of the Administration Office, disciples trust Ying Huaixu so completely that, if an order appears mistaken, they first question whether they have failed to carry it out correctly 398.
• The Dream Continent expedition highlights the disparity between the sect’s wealth and local expectations: a disciple buys a jade ruyi spirit treasure for one thousand high-grade spirit stones and melts it into a hairpin intended as a gift 522.