Huang Feihu (Marquis Wu-cheng)

Huang Feihu was the Marquis Wu-cheng, the paramount military commander defending the Shang dynasty in the Investiture of the Gods. When King Zhou’s tyranny led to the death of his wife, Lady Jia, Huang Feihu rose in righteous indignation, broke through the Five Passes, and defected to the Western Qi state; he perished in battle at Mianchi during the campaign to overthrow the Shang. After returning victorious, Jiang Ziya performed the Investiture of the Gods and ordained Huang Feihu as sovereign over the Eighteen Levels of the Netherworld, entrusting him with authority to adjudicate all matters concerning life, death, transformation, and the destinies of mortals, immortals, deities, and ghosts alike—his rank equivalent to that of the Heavenly Qi Ren-sheng Great Emperor of Mount Tai, the Eastern Peak. In folk Dongyue Temples, Huang Feihu is venerated as a majestic, loyal, and courageous deity, and his decisive rejection of tyranny and embrace of justice remains especially revered by the common people.