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Taiyi Zhenren is a 'superiorman' in Chinese folklore and an important character in the Ming Dynasty novel 'Fengshen Yanyi'. His first name means 'primordial unity of yin and yang' while his last name is a Daoist term for 'Perfected Person'. He was the reincarnation of Tang of Shang, first emperor of the Shang Dynasty.<br/><br/> 'Fengshen Yanyi' describes Taiyi Zhenren as the teacher to Nezha, foreseeing that the celestial boy would bring peace back to the Zhou Dynasty. Nezha would often flee back to Zhenren whenever he experienced great trouble, trouble that he often created, with the wise sage helping out his disciple however possible. He first helped Nezha deal with the Dragon King Ao Guang, then defeated and killed Madam Rockie when Nezha retreated into Zhenren's cave for protection.<br/><br/> Later on, after Nezha's death, Zhenren reincarnated him into a new body he had made from lotus roots, then armed him with his signature weapons and did not stop him from rushing off to try and kill his father. When Nezha was eventually defeated and bound by 'superiorman' Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun to a gold pole, Zhenren appeared and sat next to Guangfa Tianzun, telling Nezha that he had orchestrated the whole event to try and teach Nezha some discipline.
A figure in Chinese mythology and a god in Chinese folk religion, Muzha appears in Ming Dynasty novels such as 'Fengshen Yanyi' and 'Journey to the West'. He was born a human, the second son of General Li Jing and Lady Yin, younger brother to Jinzha and elder brother to Nezha.<br/><br/> Muzha left his father and studied under the 'Superiorman Universal Converter' of White Egret Cave for many ears. After Nezha was reincarnated and tried to kill their father, Muzha came to his father's defence, and angrily fought Nezha. Despite all his training, Muzha was eventually defeated by Nezha's golden brick, pulling him to the ground with its immense weight.<br/><br/> Humbled by his loss, he later presented himself before Li Resounding, one of the four 'superiormen' of Nine Dragon Island, but tragically killed Li Resounding in a fit of rage when the 'superiorman' refused to teach him. Muzha would also become a disciple of the Bodhisattvas Guanyin and Samantabhadra, and eventually became a 'superiorman' and celestial being himself, deified as the celestial protector of the Western Foothills.
Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun was a character in the Ming Dynasty novel 'Fengshen Yanyi', a 'superiorman' who looked after Mount Five Dragons and Cloud Top Cave. He is apparently derived from the bodhisattva Manjusri, and was the noted teacher of Jinzha, Li Jing's first son.<br/><br/> After Nezha attempted to kill his father Li Jing and defeated his brother Muzha, Guangfa Tianzun appeared just as Li Jing was about to commit suicide. Telling Li Jing to hide in his cave, Guangfa Tianzun defeated Nezha easily and tied him to a large gold post, ordering his student Jinzha to flog Nezha for his spoilt insolence. Guangfa Tianzun disappears from the novel after this encounter.<br/><br/> Guangfa Tianzun was described as an elite 'superiorman', even more powerful than Nezha's own 'superiorman' teacher, Taiyi Zhenren.