Randeng Daoren () is a character in the famed classic Chinese novel ''

Fengshen Yanyi ''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese names () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Con ...

''. He was renowned as the Superiorman of Mount Condor, Intuition Cave. His role originated from Dipankara Buddha of Buddhist lore, who was a past enlightened being before the time of

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in ...

. Following the incident with Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun and Taiyi Zhenren,

Nezha Nezha ( 哪吒) is a protection deity in Chinese folk religion. His official Taoist name is "Marshal of the Central Altar" (). He was then given the title "Third Lotus Prince" () after he became a deity. Origins According to Meir Shahar, Nez ...

once again saw an opportunity to strike down his father, Li Jing, and end his great hatred. Before their battle, Randeng Daoren saw Li Jing and immediately told him to hide behind him lest he be killed. Once Nezha appeared directly before Randeng Daoren, Randeng Daoren said, "I thought this problem had been resolved in the Cloud Top Cave. It is not good for you to rekindle your revenge again." Randeng Daoren thrust Li Jing forward to fight. Because Randeng Daoren had already spat on Li Jing's back - which gave him magical powers - Li Jing was a match for Nezha at last. Nezha, who easily saw the trickery, stabbed his spear at Randeng Daoren; Randeng Daoren easily negated his spear by forming a large white lotus from his own mouth. Once Nezha attempted to attack Randeng Daoren once again, Randeng Daoren had no choice but to unleash a purple cloud from his sleeve—a purple cloud that would trap Nezha within a large burning golden tower. Following this, Randeng Daoren could effectively control Nezha. However, he decided it best to teach the technique to Li Jing lest Nezha rebel again. Thus, Randeng Daoren took his leave after entrusting the

Zhou Dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by ...

to Li Jing, who was now Li the Pagoda Bearer. The Burning-Lamp Taoist sometimes appears as a

door god Menshen or door gods are divine guardians of doors and gates in Chinese folk religions, used to protect against evil influences or to encourage the entrance of positive ones. They began as the divine pair Shenshu ( ) and Yulü () under the ...

in Chinese and

Taoist temple A Taoist temple (, also called ''dàoguàn'' and , is a place where the Tao is observed and cultivated it is a place of worship in Taoism. Structure and function can vary according to the Taoist school the temple belongs to. For example, ''guà ...

s, usually in partnership with

Caishen Caishen () is the mythological figure worshipped in the Chinese folk religion and Taoism. He has been identified with many historical figures, viewed as his embodied forms, among whom Zhao Gongming (, Wade–Giles: ''Chao Kung-ming''; also known a ...

References

* ''

Investiture of the Gods ''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese names () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Con ...

'' chapter 14 Chinese gods Investiture of the Gods characters Fictional monks {{Tao-stub