This page will serve to offer brief explanations about the world of HoB. I will not dwell over much on how Chinese Gods work in real life, and will only focus on the parts which are mentioned within HoB.
Heaven
Heaven is divided into the Upper and Middle Court. Prior to Xie Lian’s third ascension, the Middle Court was called the Lower Court, but because of the unpleasant sounding implications, it was re-named to Middle Court.
The Upper Court consists of those Heavenly Officials who had passed the heavenly tribulations and ascended, whereas the Middle Court consist of the Deputy Generals who had been brought along by the Officials from the Upper Court, who have been deemed promising. Once an Official of the Middle Court has passed his/her own tribulations, they will also ascend into the ranks of those from the Upper Court.
Hence Officials of the Upper Court are the actual gods, and those from the Middle Court are mostly attendants or retainers.
Gods
There are a number of different types of Gods, but the most abundant would be the Martial Gods and Civil Gods. There are also 5 Elemental Masters (Earth, Water, Wind, Rain, Thunder), and Gods in charge of the North, Southwest, Southeast, East and West. The gods of the cardinal directions are all Martial Gods. The Elemental Masters are neither Civil nor Martial Gods, and can be viewed as a separate category of its own; in Wiki, they are known as the Gods of celestial and terrestrial phenomena.
Civil Gods, as the name implies, lean more to literature, culture, administration and bureaucracy. In Chinese religion, the Civil and Martial Gods are viewed as Military vs Realms of Government.
Ghost Realm
The Ghost Realm is a lawless place, and there is no central power to govern it. Ghosts are ranked as : 恶 Malicious (aka Fierce), 厉 Ferocious (aka Severe), 凶 Savage (aka Wrath), and 绝 Supreme (aka Devastation), in that order. Those who have reached the level of Supreme are often Ghost Kings with their own domains. The Ghost City, situated at the crossroad which opens to the mortal realm, is currently the territory of Blood Rain Seeking Flower.
The current known Supremes are Blood Rain Seeking Flower, Black Water Ship Sinker, and White No-Face (Bai Wu Xiang). The Savage ‘Green Ghost Qi Rong’ and the 3 Supremes make up the Four Calamities.
Mortal Realm
Where humans dwell. The mortal kingdoms which will be mentioned frequently are Yong’an, Xian Le, Ban Yue, Xu Li, Yu Shi and Wu Yong.
Prior to the downfall of Xian Le, Yong’an was a municipal of Xian Le. After the royalty of Xian Le was deposed, Yong’an grew to be a prosperous kingdom in its own right, before gradually declining as well after most of its royalty was massacred. Before Yong’an fell, it had been engaged in mutual hostility with Ban Yue, and Ban Yue eventually suffered from betrayal and was destroyed by Yong’an.
Terms and Titles
So we have Dì jūn (帝君), Dào jūn (道君), Zhēn jūn (真君), Xīng jūn (星君) and Yuán jūn (元君) in Chinese mythology. Jūn (君) means monarch/lord/ruler.
- Dì jūn – Di means emperor. This title is a bit ambiguous, as Dì jūn can refer to a branch of powerful immortals (who rank below the Jade Emperor) with their own territories and responsibilities, and also the Heavenly Emperor (aka Jade Emperor) himself. In any case, in HoB, Jun Wu is addressed this way (I use “Your Majesty” in the translation).
- Yuán jūn – Yuán means first, original, primal. This title is used for female immortals with strong powers and high status, such as the Queen Mother, or some other lofty goddess. Not all goddesses deserve this title. In HoB however, it seems to be used as the female equivalent of Zhēn jūn.
- Dào jūn – Dào means truth, morality, and is the same as Tao in Taoism. A general title for immortals with higher status than Zhēn jūn. It is a common title for all high-level immortals. (This term does not appear in HoB)
- Zhēn jūn – Zhēn means true, genuine. Hate to break it to you guys but Zhēn jūn is for those middling immortals with almost non-existent magic. They’re kind of mid-level gods, but not the lowest levels of existence. In HoB, I believe the status associated with “Dào jūn” is more fitting for those Heavenly Officials who were titled Zhēn jūn (eg. Ling Wen and Nan Yang).
- Xīng jūn – Xīng means star. In ancient times, the Chinese believed that every star in the sky represents a God. These gods are known as Xīng jūn. However, these gods are typically middle to lower level immortals. (This term does not appear in HoB)
There is also the more often used Dà rén (大人), which is a title of respect toward superiors. (I use “My lord” in the translation) It is not an indicator of seniority in age, but of rank and respect. Hence Xie Lian addresses the Wind Master this way despite being waaaaay older Shi Qing Xuan.
Deep Dream Translations 