Investiture List

With the disciples of the three teachings caught in the calamity and the Heavenly Court still short of three hundred and sixty-five true gods, Yuanshi Tianzun and the others settled the roll of investiture. When Jiang Ziya had begun to serve Western Qi he returned to Kunlun, and Yuanshi had Nanji Xianweng fetch the Investiture List and give it to him, telling him to build the investiture terrace on Mount Qi.

Jiang Ziya carried the roll down the mountain, rescued Bo Jian in the Eastern Sea on the way and had him come to Western Qi. At Mount Qi he set Bo Jian to oversee the gods of the five roads in building the terrace, and when it was finished he hung the Investiture List up on it.

As the Shang and Zhou armies fought, the true spirits of the fallen came one after another to the investiture terrace. Bo Jian stood before it holding the soul-guiding banner and received Huang Tianhua, Wen Zhong, Zhao Gongming, the Three Xiao and the officers of every side into the terrace to wait.

The Ten Absolutes, the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, the Zhuxian Formation and the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation opened one after another, and the names on the roll came below the terrace in batches. Some died to a formation or a treasure and some before the lines, and Bo Jian gathered every true spirit into the terrace.

After Chaoge fell and King Zhou burned himself on the Deer Terrace, Jiang Ziya oversaw the execution of Daji and the other two demons. With the war over he returned to Western Qi and waited for the last commission from Yuxu Palace.

The yellow-scarfed strongmen and the white crane boy brought the jade tally and the golden commission, and Jiang Ziya took the writ and travelled by earth-passage to Mount Qi. He had Wu Ji and Nangong Kuo set up the eight-trigram paper banners and drew up three thousand men in the five quarters.

Jiang Ziya bathed and changed his robes, circled the terrace three times, read out Yuanshi’s commission, and then stood in armour at the centre of the terrace with the apricot-yellow banner in his left hand and the God-Beating Whip in his right, and had Bo Jian hang the Investiture List below.

Bo Jian was invested first, as the True God of Pure Blessing at the head of the eight departments and three hundred and sixty-five offices of the three realms, and then brought the gods below the terrace in order. Huang Tianhua, Huang Feihu, Wen Zhong, Zhao Gongming, the Three Xiao and the stars of the Dipper department each received their commissions and entered their offices in heaven.

When all three hundred and sixty-five true gods had been invested they left the terrace for their posts. Li Jing, Jinzha, Muzha, Nezha, Yang Jian, Weihu and Lei Zhenzi had not died on the field and were not on the roll, and afterwards took their leave of King Wu together.