History Literature / FengshenYanyi

* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Many Immortals in the novel can assume a monstrous form where they sport three or more heads coupled with a high numbers of arms, ranging from 6 to 8 to even 20!

* ''Nezha Conquers the Dragon King'' - 1979 Chinese short film, one of the earliest high-budget productions of it's kind

* AdaptationalHeroism: ''Nezha''. Many recaps about his story (even on Wikipedia) recounts how he heroically killed the Yaksha and the Dragon Prince Ao Bing to save some kids they wanted to sacrifice. In the novel proprer, Ao Guang was simply minding his own business in his court, Nezha accidentally caused a quake by washing his Fabao in the water and when confronted by the Yaksha and Ao Bing he rudely provoked them into a fight and killed them. When Ao Guang tried to denounce him to the Heavens, Nezha was made invisible by his master and ambushed the Dragon God, beating him into submission. While he eventually kills himself to save his family, he does so knowing very well that the Will of Heaven still needs him and thus he will be given a new body.

** Though [[{{Jerkass}} King Zhou]] was already destined to be the last of the Shang Dynasty, he was by no means the cruel or vindictive leader he became later. Rather, he became that way largely because of the intervention of the Mother Goddess of humanity, Nu Wa, who sent a [[{{Kitsune}} Huli-Jing]] to seduce and corrupt Zhou and cause his downfall much sooner than intended. His crime? [[ConstructionCatcalls Remarking at how "hot" she was in her temple.]] Some adaptations have him follow up that statement with wishing that she would become one of his concubines, which was what really ticked her off. Others have King Zhou compose a poem about how he wanted to bring the Mother of Humanity to his palace to slake his carnal desires [[TooDumbToLive and wrote it on the walls of her temple]]. However, this is subverted however in the long run, when Nu Wa herself clarifies that her order for Daji and the other two spirits meant corrupting King Zhou ''without causing excessive harm to the people'', while Daji often started several petty and whimsical plots which caused long-lasting destruction in the Empire, which earned her the hostility of Nu Wa.

* BackFromTheDead: ... However, Nezha's master constructed a new body for Nezha's soul out of sacred lotuses, which ended up [[MidSeasonUpgrade being even more powerful than his original flesh-and-blood body]]. Jiang Ziya himself is destinated to die seven times during the novel, each time being revived before his soul can cross over.

Variously titled ''Fengshen Yanyi'' or ''Fengshen Bang'' in Chinese, ''Hōshin Engi'' in Japanese, and ''Investiture of the Gods'' or ''Creation of the Gods '' in English, this novel is a heavily mythologized account of the overthrow of the Shang Dynasty by the Zhou Dynasty in the 11th Century BC. Also, just like ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' and ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'', [[DoorStopper it contains 100 chapters]].

* {{Kitsune}}: The sadistic demon-fox Daji is one of the main antagonists of the narrative, having been sent by the goddess Nu Wa to seduce King Zhou and corrupt him into a tyrant. Initially described as a thousand years old vixen, it is later mentioned that she has nine tails as well.

As one can expect from a story as large as this, the ''Fengshen Yanyi'' contains [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters far too many heroes and side characters to count]] and plenty of back-and-forth betrayals, executions, and skulduggery.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: [[http://www.poisonpie.com/words/others/somewhat/creation/text/characters.html This page makes a list of them, and the creator of the page even goes so far as to say it's]] [[GoneMadFromTheRevelation not even CLOSE to being a complete listing - just enough for your average reader to keep track of the important characters]]. To complicate matters, OneSteveLimit is averted and characters with identical names but different roles are not unheard of.

* TheHeavy: TheRival Shen Gongbao is the biggest threat of the middle part of the novel, being responsible for many of the military attacks against Xiqi (turning King Zhou's sons against Jiang Ziya is a particularly noteworthy example).

** SandBuster: Three of the Ten Deadly Formation can use sand to hurt people: the Blood Mutating Formation has black sand which melts people into blood on touch, the Fallen Souls one can also smother people to death with black dust and the Red Sand Formation contains red sands where each grain is as sharp as a sword.

* JustFollowingOrder: When finally ensnared by the heroes, Daji and her sisters try to beg for their lives, pointing out that they were just following Nu Wa's command. The goddess herself point out that they went against her orders by harming the innocent people with their plots and leave them to be killed.
* {{Kitsune}}: The sadistic demon-fox Daji is one of the main antagonists of the narrative, having been sent by the goddess Nu Wa to seduce King Zhou and corrupt him into a tyrant.Initially described as a thousand years old vixen, it is later mentioned that she has nine tails as well.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Though [[{{Jerkass}} King Zhou]] was already destined to be the last of the Shang Dynasty, he was by no means the cruel or vindictive leader he became later. Rather, he became that way largely because of the intervention of the Mother Goddess of humanity, Nu Wa, who sent a [[{{Kitsune}} Huli-Jing]] to seduce and corrupt Zhou and cause his downfall much sooner than intended. His crime? [[ConstructionCatcalls Remarking at how "hot" she was in her temple.]] Some adaptations have him follow up that statement with wishing that she would become one of his concubines, which was what really ticked her off. Others have King Zhou compose a poem about how he wanted to bring the Mother of Humanity to his palace to slake his carnal desires [[TooDumbToLive and wrote it on the walls of her temple]]. However, this is subverted however in the long run, when Nu Wa herself clarifies that her order for Daji and the other two spirits meant corrupting King Zhou ''without causing excessive harm to the people'', while Daji often started several petty and whimsical plots which caused long-lasting destruction in the Empire, which earned her the hostility of Nu Wa.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: [[http://www.poisonpie.com/words/others/somewhat/creation/text/characters.html This page makes a list of them, and the creator of the page even goes so far as to say it's]] [[GoneMadFromTheRevelation not even CLOSE to being a complete listing - just enough for your average reader to keep track of the important characters]].

* IAteWhat: King Zhou at one point tries to invoke this on Ji Chang, who would eventually become the predecessor to King Wu, by [[ImAHumanitarian feeding him meat cakes made from Ji Chang's son]]. Ji Chang was skilled enough in divination to know exactly what he was eating, [[ObfuscatingStupidity but did so anyway to make King Zhou let down his guard]].

* DeathByOriginStory: Nezha was quite the precocious herculean brat, and ended up ticking off one of the Four Dragon Kings, Ao Guang, along with accidentally killing one of Lady Rock's disciples and unintentionally maiming another, which led to Nezha's master killing Lady Rock in order to protect Nezha. When the Jade Emperor caught wind of the mess Nezha was making, he was set to punish Nezha's parents, but Nezha [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath brutally hacked himself to pieces]] in front of the Jade Emperor and Ao Guang as recompense, thus sparing his parents...

* {{Kitsune}}: The sadistic demon-fox Daji is one of the main antagonists of the narrative, having been sent by the goddess Nu Wa to seduce King Zhou and corrupt him into a tyrant.Oddly enough, the number of tails isn't mentioned, just her age (1000 years old).

** PlayingWithFire: Probably the most numberous, such as Nezha's Fire-Tip Spear, Heaven-Muddling Damask, Fire and Wind Wheels and Nine Dragons Divine Fire Coverlet. Other notable ones include the Blue Cloud Sword, the Fire Fires Seven Fowls Fan, the Vehement Flame Formation and
** AnIcePerson:
** BlowYouAway:
** LightEmUp:
** DishingOutDirt:
** ShockAndAwe:
** SandBuster:

* OneSteveLimit: Note that King Zhou is not affiliated with the Zhou dynasty. It's less ambiguous in Chinese since the two use completely different characters.

* ArchnemesisDad: Li Ching, who (probably) fought for Zhou of Shang, to Li Nezha, who (always) fought for Wu of Zhou.
** Even in the versions of the story where Li Ching joined the rebellion side, they did not get along.
* BackFromTheDead: ... However, Nezha's master constructed a new body for Nezha's soul out of sacred lotuses, which ended up [[MidSeasonUpgrade being even more powerful than his original flesh-and-blood body]].

* TheCorruptor: The job of the Jade Pipa Spirit, the Nine-Headed Pheasant and the Nine-Tailed Fox. The lattermost would find the greatest success under the name of "Daji".

* DemonicPossession: In some versions of the tale Daji is a normal, albeit uncommonly beautiful, noblewoman. She would be murdered by the Nine-Tailed Fox who would go on to possess her body in order to gain access to King Zhou of Shang's court.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Though [[{{Jerkass}} King Zhou]] was already destined to be the last of the Shang Dynasty, he was by no means the cruel or vindictive leader he became later. Rather, he became that way largely because of the intervention of the Mother Goddess of humanity, Nu Wa, who sent a [[{{Kitsune}} Huli-Jing]] to seduce and corrupt Zhou and cause his downfall much sooner than intended. His crime? [[ConstructionCatcalls Remarking at how "hot" she was in her temple.]] Some adaptations have him follow up that statement with wishing that she would become one of his concubines, which was what really ticked her off. Others have King Zhou compose a poem about how he wanted to bring the Mother of Humanity to his palace to slake his carnal desires [[TooDumbToLive and wrote it on the walls of her temple]].

* GoneHorriblyRight: Nu-Wa dispatched three spirits, including Daji, to hasten the destined fall of the Shang Dynasty due to her taking offense at King Zhou of Shang's conduct. They were supposed to be [[PunchClockVillain punch clock villains]] and simply distract King Zhou from affairs of state. Instead they, especially Daji, reveled in the cruelty and the carnage which contributed significantly to kicking off the rebellion that would unseat King Zhou.

* {{Kitsune}}: The sadistic nine-tailed demon-fox Daji is one of the main antagonists of the narrative, having been sent by the goddess Nu Wa to seduce King Zhou and corrupt him into a tyrant.

* TunnelKing: [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Tuxingsun]][=/=]Earth-Traveler Sun learnt the art of moving freely through the ground after a hundred years of training under his Taoist master. This allows him to dig his way into heavily fortified places undisturbed, escape from any danger as long as he's touching the soil and take his opponents by surprise. The only time this ability of his is nullified is when his own master uses his "Earth-in-Iron Transforming Talismans" to make the local dirt as hard as steel and leave him with nowhere to run.

* BackFromTheDead: ... however, Nezha's master constructed a new body for Nezha's soul out of sacred lotuses, which ended up [[MidSeasonUpgrade being even more powerful than his original flesh-and-blood body]].

* DeathByOriginStory: Nezha was quite the precocious herculean brat, and ended up ticking off one of the Four Dragon Kings, Ao Guang along with accidentally killing one of Lady Rock's disciples and unintentionally maiming another, which led to Nezha's master killing Lady Rock in order to protect Nezha. When the Jade Emperor caught wind of the mess Nezha was making, he was set to punish Nezha's parents, but Nezha [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath brutally hacked himself to pieces]] in front of the Jade Emperor and Ao Guang as recompense, thus sparing his parents...

# The Rebellion of King Wu of Zhou. It's at this point that the main action of the novel picks up, the majority of the story takes place, and the motivations for the myriad of characters begins to interweave. Of special note is Jiang Ziya's job, as dictated by his master, whose own orders were dictated by the [[TopGod Jade Emperor]] himself: first, to ensure that the Shang Dynasty falls and the Zhou Dynasty rises; second, to cultivate those listed on the eponymous "Fengshen Bang," or "List of Gods-To-Be" to become the numerous Gods of the Celestial Bureaucracy.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Though [[{{Jerkass}} King Zhou]] was already destined to be the last of the Shang Dynasty, he was by no means the cruel or vindictive leader he became later. Rather, he became that way largely because of the intervention of the Mother Goddess of humanity, Nu Wa, who sent a [[{{Kitsune}} Huli-Jing]] to seduce and corrupt Zhou and cause his downfall much sooner than intended. His crime? [[ConstructionCatcalls Remarking at how "hot" she was in her temple.]] Some adaptations have him follow up that statement with wishing that she would become one of his concubines, which was what really ticked her off.

->1. The birth and rise to power of King Zhou of Shang, his ever-growing corruption which brings about the ire of a goddess, and finally his complete StartOfDarkness wherein he orders the executions of ministers, generals, and even his own sons.

->2. The births of heroes, especially Li Nezha. During this time we also see the arrival of the novel's central-most figure, [[TheGoodChancellor Jiang Ziya]] - a 72-year-old Taoist Mystic; that being said, 72 is not that old for a Taoist Mystic, and as such he's usually portrayed in his early-to-mid twenties.

->3. The Rebellion of King Wu of Zhou. It's at this point that the main action of the novel picks up, the majority of the story takes place, and the motivations for the myriad of characters begins to interweave. Of special note is Jiang Ziya's job, as dictated by his master, whose own orders were dictated by the [[TopGod Jade Emperor]] himself: first, to ensure that the Shang Dynasty falls and the Zhou Dynasty rises; second, to cultivate those listed on the eponymous "Fengshen Bang," or "List of Gods-To-Be" to become the numerous Gods of the Celestial Bureaucracy.

->4. The success of the Rebellion, the institution of the Zhou Dynasty, and the establishment of the Celestial Bureaucracy in Heaven.

As one can expect from a story as large as this, the ''Fengshen Yanyi'' contains [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters far too many heroes and side characters to count]] and a plenty of back-and-forth betrayals, executions, and skulduggery.

In 2019 and 2020, it received a pair of animated film adaptations called ''Animation/NeZha'' and ''Animation/JiangZiya'', followed in 2021 by an unrelated adaptation, ''Animation/NewGodsNezhaReborn2021''

!!Tropes pertaining to the novel itself:

* DividedForPublication: Most English versions (what few exist) split the work into 2 parts...
* {{Doorstopper}}: ... because the book contains 100 chapters, many of them detailing [[AwesomeButImpractical tactical maneuvers that are really cool but would never work in real life]].
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: [[http://www.poisonpie.com/words/others/somewhat/creation/text/characters.html This page makes a list of them, and the creator of the page even goes so far as to say it's]] [[GoneMadFromTheRevelation not even CLOSE to being a complete listing - just enough for your average reader to keep track of the important characters]].
* LongestPregnancyEver: Nezha's mother carried him for 3 years and 9 months.
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: Just as [[Literature/TheIliad The Trojan War PROBABLY didn't involve the actual sons and daughters of gods, or the gods themselves directly in some instances]], it's safe to say that several dozen Taoist deities PROBABLY didn't take part in the Zhou Rebellion, especially as commanders of legions under King Wu himself.
----
!!Tropes within the novel:

-->1. The birth and rise to power of King Zhou of Shang, his ever-growing corruption which brings about the ire of a goddess, and finally his complete StartOfDarkness wherein he orders the executions of ministers, generals, and even his own sons.

-->2. The births of heroes, especially Li Nezha. During this time we also see the arrival of the novel's central-most figure, [[TheGoodChancellor Jiang Ziya]] - a 72-year-old Taoist Mystic; that being said, 72 is not that old for a Taoist Mystic, and as such he's usually portrayed in his early-to-mid twenties.

-->3. The Rebellion of King Wu of Zhou. It's at this point that the main action of the novel picks up, the majority of the story takes place, and the motivations for the myriad of characters begins to interweave. Of special note is Jiang Ziya's job, as dictated by his master, whose own orders were dictated by the [[TopGod Jade Emperor]] himself: first, to ensure that the Shang Dynasty falls and the Zhou Dynasty rises; second, to cultivate those listed on the eponymous "Fengshen Bang," or "List of Gods-To-Be" to become the numerous Gods of the Celestial Bureaucracy.

-->4. The success of the Rebellion, the institution of the Zhou Dynasty, and the establishment of the Celestial Bureaucracy in Heaven.

In 2019 and 2020, it received a pair of animated film adaptations called ''Animation/NeZha'' and ''Animation/JiangZiya'', followed in 2021 by an unrelated adaptation, ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Gods:_Nezha_Reborn New Gods: Nezha Reborn]]''

In 2019 and 2020, it received a pair of animated film adaptations called ''Animation/NeZha'' and ''Animation/JiangZiya''.