The story of Four Zhuxian Swords and the Zhuxian Formation Chart

In the account that joins the war of Dao and demon to the Investiture, the four swords Zhuxian, Luxian, Xianxian and Juexian and the formation chart were first in Luohou’s hands. Luohou set out his formation in the west, Hongjun and the others came against him, and when Luohou was beaten the four swords left the demonic path.

That account then has Hongjun take up the four swords and give them afterwards to Tongtian Jiaozhu. The text of Investiture of the Gods begins instead with the four swords already stored at the Biyou Palace.

After Guangchengzi’s three visits to the Biyou Palace, the Jie disciples gathered before Tongtian to complain. Tongtian told Jinling Shengmu to fetch a bundle from the rear hall, and in it were the four blades — Zhuxian, Luxian, Xianxian and Juexian.

Tongtian gave the four to Duobao Daoren and told him to go ahead to Jiepai Pass and set out the Zhuxian Formation. The four swords hung inverted at the four gates, yellow mist rolled inside, and the sword-light shook with the thunder.

Laozi, Yuanshi, Jieyin and Zhunti all entered the formation together and surrounded Tongtian on his kui-ox. Outside, Guangchengzi, Chijingzi, Yuding Zhenren and Daoxing Tianzun waited each with a talisman.

Once the four sect-heads had Tongtian engaged, the four Chan disciples charged in. Guangchengzi took the Zhuxian sword, Chijingzi the Luxian, Yuding Zhenren the Xianxian and Daoxing Tianzun the Juexian, and the light went out of the four gates.

With the Zhuxian Formation broken, Jiang Ziya kept the four swords for the time being. Before the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation opened, Yuanshi took them back from him and gave them again to Guangchengzi, Chijingzi, Yuding Zhenren and Daoxing Tianzun, telling them to charge in when the pagoda rose before the eight-trigram terrace.

When the pagoda rose in the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation the four swords were raised at once. Guangchengzi held Zhuxian, Chijingzi Luxian, Daoxing Tianzun Xianxian and Yuding Zhenren Juexian, and several streams of black vapour covered the immortals within.

The twenty-eight lodges, the nine luminaries and many Jie disciples named on the roll fell under that sword-light. When the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation broke up, the four swords were recovered from it and never appeared again on the Shang–Zhou battlefield.