Journey to the West is the first supernatural evil-spirit Romanticism novel with long chapters in ancient China, the core is about 「gods and monsters」. The term of supernatural-evil spirit novel was initiated by Lu Xun.
The biggest difference between supernatural-evil spirit novel and myths - legends is that there are two poles of gods and demons in supernatural-evil spirit novel, which is a relationship of opposing camps. This kind of creation, which applies the concepts of war, class, and camp only existed in the world to the gods, speaks of personnel through gods and demons, and has some entertainment or commercial appeal, has been completely different from the creation of stories simply because of faith by the ancestors in the mythological age.
Journey to the West is the originator of Chinese supernatural evil-spirit Romanticism novel with long chapters。 In the novel, the World was divided into Three Realms: heaven, underearth, and mortal; Three families of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Why Buddha, Bodhisattva, Gods, immortals and demons (called Yaoguai in Black Myth), spirits coexist in one world without any contradiction?
Journey to the West is the originator of Chinese supernatural evil-spirit Romanticism novel with long chapters。 In the novel, the World was divided into Three Realms: heaven, underearth, and mortal; Three families of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Why Buddha, Bodhisattva, Gods, immortals and demons (called Yaoguai in Black Myth), spirits coexist in one world without any contradiction?
This process can be simply boiled down to three stages: Jueditiantong (Keep Earthly and Heavenly Affairs Separate), the God Lord system, and the appointment of a hundred gods.
1
绝地天通：从神话时代至春秋
Jueditiantong(Keep Earthly and Heavenly Affairs Separate): From Mythical Times to Spring-Autumn dynasty
华夏大地原始宗教向国家宗教转向的阶段，将国家势力范围内的原始宗教进行初步整合。
从而得到的结构为一天多神，先祖拟神化、天神人格化，神人逐步混为一谈。
这一阶段随着西周重新把神去人格化，以“天”作为最高神而终结。
The stage of the transformation of the primitive religion in the land of China to the state religion, and the initial integration of the primitive religion within the sphere of influence of the state. The system of Heaven is One Greatest God leading many Gods , first the ancestors were deified, the gods were personified, then the gods and men were gradually mixed. This phase ended with the re-depersonalization of God in the Western Zhou Dynasty, with "the Greatest God as the supreme God.
2
神爵之制：从战国持续至两汉
The God Lord system: lasted from the Warring States to the Han Dynasty
不同地域宗教逐步整合的阶段。
中央政府通过地望册封，将信仰逐步收归国有，统一祭祀制度等办法，逐步整合出我国官祀众神体系的雏形。并同步衍生出与官祀体系对立的民祀体系诸神。
The stage of gradual integration of religions in different regions. The central government gradually integrated the rudiment of the system of official worship of the gods by means of the ordination, the gradual nationalization of faith and the unification of the sacrificial system. At the same time, the gods of the people's sacrifice system, which were opposed to the official sacrifice system, were derived
3
百神受职：到宋朝基本成熟
中央进一步通过封号等级制度，也就是「加前缀」的方式，整合各类民间和地方势力信仰。
The central government further integrated various folk and local forces' beliefs through the title hierarchy, that is「by adding prefixes」.
例如，关中三圣神，原为地方求雨神，因两宋时期西北战事频发，此神不断保佑西北边军作战取胜，其封号不断提升，神爵从最初的「两字侯」，一直加封到「八字王」，完成其神业道路的逆袭。
The three Holy Spirits of Guanzhong, originally the local god of rain, because of the frequent wars in the northwest of the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties, and constantly bless the northwest border army to win the battle, the title of the three gods was constantly promoted, and the God Lord from the initial 「two character Hou」, has been added to the 「eight-character king」. completing the counter attack on the road of god's business
0
宋徽宗年间加封（封公）
confer a dukedom during Emperor of SongHuizong era
- 灵威、佑、显公
-Duke of Lingwei, You and Xiangong
Loyal Ling Ying wang
0
靖康年加封（封王）
crown as a king during Emperor of Jingkang era
- 威烈、显、惠王
- King of Wei Lie, King Xian and King Hui
0
南宋加封（升四字王）
crown as a four-character king during Southern Song dynasty
- 忠烈灵应王
- King of Zhonglielingying
- 忠显昭应王
- King of Zhonglielingying
- 忠惠顺应王
- King of Zhonghuishunying
0
绍兴末年（升六字王）
crown as a six-character king during last years of Shaoxing era (about the year 1145 AD)
- 忠烈灵应昭佑王
- King of Zhonglielingyingzhaoyou
- 忠显昭应孚佑王
- King of Zhongxianzhaoyingfuyou
- 忠惠顺应孚济王
- King of Zhonghuishunyingfuji
0
嘉泰初年（升八字王）
crown as a eight-character king during early years of Jiatai era (about the year 1201 AD)
- 忠烈灵应孚泽昭佑王
- King of Zhonglielingyingfuzezhaoyou
- 忠显昭应孚济广佑王
- King of Zhongxianzhaoyingfujiguangyou
- 忠惠顺应孚佑善利王
- King of Zhonghuishunyingfuyoushanli
0
八字王继续升就是“帝”
The next step up is the emperor
After thousands of years of integration of local beliefs in China, and the popularity of the Yuan Dynasty, the novel of gods and demons finally ushered in its highlight moment in the Ming Dynasty - Journey to the West renounce the world splendidly