- Introduction
- General Notes
- Mortal Realm
- Heavenly Realm
- Ghost Realm
- My Immor
- Conclusion
- Special Thanks and Credits
Introduction
Hello everyone! My name’s Pengie, and today I’m presenting my interpretation of the Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu world map.
The series author, Moxiang Tongxiu (also known as MXTX), approaches geography differently in each of her three major danmei series. To compare the two extremes, the geography of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation is heavily based on historical maps of China and calls out many real-life locations by name, and the geography of The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System is incoherent nonsense pulled from the depths of a coomer’s mind.
Heaven Official’s Blessing is somewhere in the middle: there are few real-life locations, but the kingdoms in TGCF are inspired by common tropes from Chinese literature. Even if they aren’t explicitly told where a kingdom is, Chinese readers will have a rough idea of where they “should” go.
A few disclaimers before we start: I’m the editor on the Seven Seas English release of the TGCF novels. The theories in this video are based on evidence from the books themselves, as well as some real-life historic and geographic notes when appropriate — however, please note that they are in fact only my own theories, helped along with a large dosage of advice from translator Suika. They should not be considered official, as this isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by MXTX or Seven Seas. Finally, please also forgive any errors regarding my pronunciation of names and terms, as I’m not a native speaker.
This video contains vague book spoilers, up to and including the final English volume, Volume 8. Donghua-only watchers, please beware — I’ve tried to be less specific about plot elements when I can, but if you want to experience the full story solely through the animated series…wow, you’ll be waiting a long time, won’t you? May I offer a book recommendation?
General Notes
The most prosperous land in real-life China — that is, the most resource-rich land with the most advantageous geography and climate — is in the Central Plains and eastward. This area was also home to most historical capitals. Thus, the kingdoms known for their wealth (Xianle and Yong’an) are located in the east. The south has a rainy climate and is where most rice is grown, and Yushi is thus likely in the south. Thanks to frequent historical invasions from the lands north of China, northerners are stereotyped as being eager to fight. It then follows that Xuli, whose main claim to fame was its military, is in the north.
Let’s lay out some of the other things we know for sure so we can construct a map.
Mortal Realm
Several of these kingdoms have overlapping territory, because they rise, fall, and invade each other. Some don’t even exist at the same time as the others, and none of them are still in existence in the present timeline of the novel. None of the present day kingdoms are given names.
The Kingdoms of Xianle, Xuli, and Yushi all existed at the same time, and fell within a few decades of each other. The Kingdom of Yong’an likely snatched up a lot of their territory, since it came into existence directly afterward. The Kingdom of Banyue existed at the same time as Yong’an, and fell around 200 years before the book’s present timeline starts. Yong’an was on its last legs at this point, and fell itself not long after.
[The first item can be deduced from facts found in Xianle Arc 1 and the Brocade Immortal backstory. Rain Master is still recovering from the Xuli-Yushi war in Xianle Arc 1, and Ling Wen is still a junior official serving under Jing Wen. This indicates that Yushi just fell and that Xuli is still around. The BI backstory takes place shortly after Xianle Arc 1. Just trust me on this, I have a full timeline video in the works. You’ll see then. YOU’LL ALL SEE THEN]
Now, let’s start breaking things down individually and build our map.
The base I used is pulled from public domain current world maps. If you think using a modern day map for this damages my credentials, then please draft a well-sourced and compellingly written essay on which real-life dynasty best resembles a world where cum-powered gundams exist and drop it in the comments.
Fallen Kingdoms
Kingdom of Xianle
The Kingdom of Xianle was located in the east, and bordered Yushi to the north. As a preemptive note to clear up inevitable confusion, Feng Xin and Mu Qing split the south for their territories, as they are the Martial Gods of the Southwest and Southeast respectively. One can theorize that their post-banishment travels took them away from the eastern Xianle area.
Kingdom of Xuli
The Kingdom of Xuli was located in the north, and Pei Ming is the Martial God of the North. This is also the location of Mount Yujun, where the Ghost Bride arc took place.
Kingdom of Yushi
The Kingdom of Yushi was located in the south, and bordered Xianle as per Xie Lian’s comments in Xianle Arc 1:
Xie Lian thanked her again, and followed her direction going southward, arriving at the temporary residence of the Rain Master. (Vol. 3, Pg 67)
“From the Kingdom of Yushi in the south,” Xie Lian replied. (Vol. 3, Pg 74)
The Kingdom of Yushi was taken over by Xuli just before the first Xianle Arc started. [We know this fact about the timeline because the Rain Master is still recovering from the injuries she sustained during the Xuli-Yushi war when Xie Lian goes to visit her in Xianle Arc 1. It’s the whole reason why her beefcake bull talks to Xie Lian instead; she’s still too injured to receive visitors.]
Regarding the Rain Master’s present-day domain, which is also called “Yushi,” it was named as such in reference to her title as the god of rain, not the fallen kingdom — “Yushi” literally means “Rain Master” (雨 = yu = rain, 师 = shi = master). The Domain of Yushi — that is, the Domain of the Rain Master — is a physical location in the Mortal Realm that humans can reach. Due to its climate, it can be assumed that it’s on territory that once belonged to the Rain Master’s kingdom.
[“Yushi” is the name of the fallen kingdom, Yushi. “Yushi” is also the last name of its final ruling family, the Yushi clan. “Yushi” is also the name of a heavenly title/god position, Yushi / Rain Master. The “Domain of Yushi” refers to a physical location that has been claimed by the current Yushi as their territory (domain). Yushi Huang is the Yushi from the Yushi clan who comes from Yushi and currently lives in another place called Yushi.]
Kingdom of Yong’an
The Kingdom of Yong’an was located in the east, and Lang Qianqiu is the Martial God of the East. It bordered the Gobi Desert and Banyue, and possessed most if not all of Xianle’s former territory.
Kingdom of Banyue
The Kingdom of Banyue was located in the real-life Gobi Desert, and was built on an oasis. It bordered Yong’an and frequently had disputes over territory.
Quanyinlandia
The kingdom from which Yin Yu and Quan Yizhen originate is never named, but it can be assumed to have been in the west, as Quan Yizhen is the Martial God of the West and Yin Yu used to be. The mountainous western lands are generally rather barren, much like Yin Yu’s future.
Kingdom of Wuyong
The Kingdom of Wuyong existed 2000 years ago, and is essentially lost to history. Mount Tonglu was at the center of Wuyong, and in the present day, it’s kinda in its own Silent Hill-esque nightmare dimension. There’s no stated physical location for Wuyong, but it’s a good hike away from present-day civilization; it took Xie Lian and Hua Cheng almost two weeks’ worth of foot travel to get there from the Puqi Village area. (Volume 5 of the Seven Seas release states “over a dozen days” (Vol. 5, Pg 91).)
As far as my own theories, I suspect MXTX might have been inspired by the Millennial Eruption of Mount Paektu — also known as Mount Changbai — when writing about Mount Tonglu, due to similarities in the level of violence and disruption.
Wikipedia: 946 Eruption of Paektu Mountain
The real-life volcano’s eruption was so powerful it blew most of the mountain’s summit clean off, leaving behind a caldera that has become a lake. On a more meta level, “Mount Changbai (长白),” or “Mount Ever-White,” is a rather fitting place of origin for a certain little rascal in a mask. Changbai is on the border of China and North Korea, so the fictional Kingdom of Wuyong’s territories could have included the Korean peninsula… Or their attempted outward expansion pre-volcano could’ve targeted the Korean peninsula, which would hardly be a surprise.
Present Day
Imperial Capital
All we know about the ruling dynasty in the novel’s present timeline is that it exists; its name is never specified. The kingdom’s capital is most notable for being home to Shi Qingxuan’s favorite nightclubs. It’s probably in the east if we’re going by genre tropes, and probably rules over the territory that contains Puqi Village judging by proximity. If we start from Wuyong’s theoretical location near the Korean peninsula and work backward from the two week journey it took to get there on foot, a well-trained person can cover around 400 miles on foot in two weeks. This puts the current Imperial Capital around where Beijing is in the real-life present day.
Puqi Village
Puqi Village is a dinky little farming village in the middle of nowhere, though the novel’s events indicate that a fairly bustling town is nearby. It seems to be within reasonable walking distance of the Imperial Capital, as Shi Qingxuan was able to walk there for the ending party at Puqi Shrine.
Fu Gu Town
Fu Gu is a mid-sized town in the middle of somewhere, and is most notable for being the spot where He Xuan went on his rampage and died. The Terrace of Cascading Wine, where Shi Qingxuan ascended after throwing a drink in someone’s face, is nearby.
East Sea
Shi Wudu rules over the East Sea, which ties in with my previous comments on the “wealthy” areas. Shi Wudu is the Water Master as well as the God of Wealth, and those who worship him pray for his favor in shipping and trading.
Now that we have the Mortal Realm out of the way, we can address the location of some outlier spots in other realms. These obviously are difficult to place on a standard map, so please use your imagination.
Heavenly Realm
The Heavenly Realm is the realm of the gods, and is located in the sky many miles up. The Heavenly Capital is the central hub city of the realm, where gods and other heavenly officials hold court. Unlike the Ghost Realm, which is in its own dimension, the Heavenly Realm can be reached from the Mortal Realm by things like lanterns. The Heavenly Capital is held aloft by Jun Wu’s power, and can be moved on his command, as well as reshaped into gundams and gundam accessories.
Ghost Realm
The Ghost Realm is the realm of the dead, so it’s not bound to a physical location in the Mortal Realm. If it has to be placed somewhere, one can say that it’s slightly to the left of the human world. Normal people get there by dying or accidentally cha-cha sliding across the veil, and heavenly officials and people who possess high levels of cultivation can navigate there independently. Common ways to access it include following ghosts from their home graveyards (as Xie Lian & Shi Qingxuan did during the Ghost City Arc), or accessing it via dreams (as Xie Lian did when hunting the Silent Hill Sink Fetus).
Ghost City
Ghost City exists within the larger Ghost Realm, and is able to move around said realm as stated during the Ghost City Arc. It was in the east during the events of that arc, as that’s the direction from which Ming Yi’s Ascending Fire Dragon spell came. As the ruler and lord of the city, Hua Cheng can seal it off from the rest of the world if he chooses — much like Jun Wu is able to do with the Heavenly Capital. Literary parallels are a funny thing like that.
Regarding other city landmarks, Paradise Manor is located in a quiet, forested area of Ghost City, as is Thousand Lights Temple. Very important to have privacy for calligraphy lessons.
Qi Rong’s Lair
The book isn’t clear on where Qi Rong’s lair is, but it’s in a mountainous area and includes a cave network. It may not be in the Ghost Realm at all, considering Qi Rong’s wimpy minions are able to kidnap large groups of humans to bring back — they might not have the magical strength to pull off such large-scale abductions if they had to cross realms.
Black Water Demon Lair
The Black Water Demon Lair is stated to be in the South Sea, and is outside the area of which Shi Wudu has control of the waters. In Chinese myth, merfolk live in the South Sea and cry tears that turn into pearls. One has to assume that He Xuan has cried enough over the years that he could get that debt to Hua Cheng sorted out, but I guess some people can just never wrap their heads around proper financial management.
My Immor
I realize that this video is rather low on hualian content, which does much bigger numbers than a geography lecture. Please enjoy this digression so I can put hualian in the tags.
VA Credit: James Cheek, @maybejamescheek [Twitter]
Illustration Credit: Bora, @ilymir_EZGbora [Twitter]
Banner & Adaptation Credit: Pengie, @pengiesama [Twitter]
Hi my name is Crimson Immor San Lang Flower City and I have long ebony black hair with red streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and red eyes like limpid tears. I’m not related to my gege but I wish I was because he’s a major fucking hottie. I’m a ghost king but my teeth are straight and white. I have pale white skin. I’m also a supreme, and I live in a city called Ghost Vegas where I’m the mayor (I’m eight hundred years old). I’m a goth (in case you couldn’t tell) and I wear mostly red. For example today I was wearing a red corset with matching lace around it and a black leather miniskirt, red fishnets and black stiletto boots. I was wearing red lipstick, red eyeliner and red eyeshadow.
I was walking outside Puqi Shrine. It was snowing and raining so there was no sun, which I was very happy about. A lot of gods stared at me. I put up my middle finger at them.
“Hey San Lang!” shouted a voice. I looked up. It was…His Highness Xie Lian!
“What’s up gege?” I asked.
“Nothing.” he said shyly.
But then, I heard my personal assistant call me and I had to go away.
Conclusion
I hope this helped you, and if it didn’t… Sorry? I’m making a four-hour-long video essay on the full Heaven Official’s Blessing timeline, so you should subscribe for that at the very least.
Bye now.
Special Thanks and Credits
Art
Elyshia / @icekitsune13 [Airplane doing c0ke]
Neesa / @neesawahehe [BWX and Hualian chibis]
Jennifer Albright / trickunicorn.com [penguin pngs]
Bora / @ilymir_EZGbora [My Immor]
Official Art
长阳 (Changyang) / @长阳 [TGCF Revised Edition illustrations]
黄油天际 / @黄油天际 [TGCF Revised Edition box art]
Антейка (Anteiku) / @___anteiku [TGCF Russian Edition illustrations]
Marina Privalova / @BaoshanKaro [MDZS Seven Seas Edition illustrations]
STARember / @starember [TGCF Manhua illustrations]
ZeldaCW / @zeldacw [TGCF Seven Seas Edition illustrations]
VA Work
James Cheek / @MaybeJamesCheek [My Immor]
Fact-checking
Suika / @yummysuika
