Qingming Heaven

Overview

The Qingming Heaven (青冥天下) is one of the primary worlds of existence, governed absolutely by the orthodox Dao统 (Daoist lineage) centered around Bai Yujing (白玉京). Unlike the Haoran Heaven, which is managed indirectly by the Confucian Temple through a network of academies, Bai Yujing's control over the Qingming Heaven is far more direct and centralized, operating much like a massive sect that treats the entire world's fourteen states (十四州) as its private domain.

While the Haoran Heaven historically focused on defending against the Monster Race of the Manhuang Heaven, the Qingming Heaven's primary cosmic responsibility is suppressing the Extraterrestrial Demons (化外天魔) that constantly attempt to invade reality from the Outer Heavens (天外天).

Geography & Structure

The Qingming Heaven is divided into fourteen states (十四州). Across these states, Daoist officials and institutions hold supreme authority, overseeing local dynasties, mountain deities, and water spirits.

At the absolute center of this world's power and geography lies Bai Yujing (白玉京). Described as reaching the extreme heights of heaven, Bai Yujing is structurally composed of Five Cities and Twelve Pavilions (五城十二楼).

• Qingcui City (青翠城): Also known as Yuhuang City (玉皇城), it is one of the Five Cities and wields immense administrative power. It directly oversees seventy-two territories, including one of the top ten Grotto-Heavens, and is responsible for assessing the merits and faults of local Daoist officials, dynasties, and mountain/water deities.
• Nanhua City (南华城): Another of the Five Cities, historically associated with Lu Chen.
• Yushu City (玉枢城): A major city within Bai Yujing, formerly overseen by Dao officials like Zhang Fenghai before his rebellion.

Governance & Factions

The Qingming Heaven is ruled by Bai Yujing, but it also hosts several other top-tier Daoist and martial factions that occasionally chafe under Bai Yujing's absolute laws.

• Bai Yujing (白玉京): The supreme governing body. Led by the Dao Ancestor (道祖) and managed by his disciples, most notably the Second Master Yu Dou (余斗) and the Third Master Lu Chen (陆沉).
• Great Xuandu Daoist Temple (大玄都观): The undisputed ancestral home of Daoist sword cultivation in the Qingming Heaven. It is led by Sun Huaizhong (孙怀中), an immensely powerful Sword Immortal ranked as the immovable fifth-highest cultivator in the entire world. Following his sacrificial stand in the Haoran Heaven, the poet-swordsman Bai Ye (白也) was relocated here to cultivate as a Daoist sword cultivator.
• Sui Chu Palace (岁除宫): A powerful sect led by the brilliant and obsessive Wu Shuangjiang (吴霜降), a Daoist who secretly harbors military-school (兵家) ambitions and actively schemes against Bai Yujing.
• Earth Lung Mountain (地肺山): A major Daoist mountain that houses various palaces and lineages, such as Huayang Palace (华阳宫) and Cuiwei Palace (翠微宫).

Notable Figures

• Dao Ancestor (道祖): The supreme founder of the Daoist lineage, whose true body often observes the world from the Outer Heavens or the Lotus Flower Grotto-Heaven.
• Yu Dou (余斗): The Second Disciple of the Dao Ancestor. Known throughout the world as "True Invincible" (真无敌), he is a Daoist who claims to surpass any sword cultivator in combat. He serves as the primary enforcer of Bai Yujing's strict laws.
• Lu Chen (陆沉): The Third Master of Bai Yujing. A free-spirited, wildly unpredictable 14th-realm cultivator who frequently travels to other worlds, including a long stint operating a fortune-telling stall in the Lizhu Grotto-Heaven.
• Lin Jiangxian (林江仙): The undisputed number one pure martial artist of the Qingming Heaven, originally hailing from the Sword Qi Great Wall.
• Sun Huaizhong (孙怀中): The master of the Great Xuandu Daoist Temple, famous for lending his peerless immortal sword, Taibai, to Bai Ye during the Haoran-Manhuang War.

Related Events

• The War in the Outer Heavens: Over the millennia, countless high-level Daoist officials from Bai Yujing have ventured into the Outer Heavens to battle Extraterrestrial Demons. This is considered a grueling, dangerous duty that severely grinds down a cultivator's Dao foundation, and many have died there.
• Dragging the Moon (拖曳明月): During a daring excursion into the Manhuang Heaven, Chen Ping'an and Lu Chen collaborated to forcefully drag one of the Manhuang Heaven's moons into the Qingming Heaven. This monumental feat added a new moon to the Qingming Heaven's sky, bringing immeasurable Dao benefits and providence to the world.
• The Five Colored Heaven Settlement: When the Five Colored Heaven was opened, Bai Yujing was permitted to send exactly 3,000 elite Daoist officials to establish branch sects and terraform the new world, securing a massive foothold for the Daoist lineage.

References

• 剑来24：新酒等旧人, 第六章 — 水未落石未出: Supports the quota of 3,000 Daoists from Qingming Heaven being allowed into the newly formed Five Colored Heaven.
• 剑来26：人间最得意, 第五章 — 饮者留其名: Supports the Qingming Heaven's primary cosmic role in suppressing the Extraterrestrial Demons (化外天魔) via the establishment of Bai Yujing.
• 剑来26：人间最得意, 第七章 — 白也真剑仙: Supports the structure of Bai Yujing (Five Cities and Twelve Pavilions) and details the administrative power of Qingcui City (Yuhuang City).
• 剑来33：城头刻新字, 第八章 — 拔河: Supports the monumental event where Chen Ping'an and Lu Chen collaborated to drag a moon from the Manhuang Heaven to the Qingming Heaven.
• 剑来34：山中何所有, 第六章 — 刻字: Supports the nature of Bai Yujing's governance over the Qingming Heaven, noting it rules the world's 14 states like a sect managing its private territory, as opposed to the Confucian Temple's methods. Also details Yu Dou's "True Invincible" title and the ongoing war against Extraterrestrial Demons.
• 剑来38：请君入梦来, 第十章 — 倚天万里须长剑: Supports the Great Xuandu Daoist Temple's status as the ancestral home of Daoist sword cultivation and Sun Huaizhong's position.