Legend of the Diamond Kings

The legend of the Four Diamond Kings given in the Feng shen yen i is as follows:  At the time of the consolidation of the Chou dynasty in the twelfth and eleventh centuries B.C., Chiang Tzu-ya, chief counsellor to Wen Wang, and General Huang Fei-hu were defending the town and mountain of Hsi-ch’i.  The supporters of the house of Shang appealed to the four genii Mo, who lived at Chia-meng Kuan, praying them to come to their aid.  They agreed, raised an army of 100,000 celestial soldiers, and traversing towns, fields, and mountains arrived in less than a day at the north gate of Hsi-ch’i, where Mo-li Ch’ing pitched his camp and entrenched his soldiers.

Hearing of this, Huang Fei-hu hastened to warn Chiang Tzu-ya of the danger which threatened him.  “The four great generals who have just arrived at the north gate,” he said, “are marvellously powerful genii, experts in all the mysteries of magic and use of wonderful charms.  It is much to be feared that we shall not be able to resist them.”

Many fierce battles ensued.  At first these went in favour of the Chin-kang, thanks to their magical weapons and especially to Mo-li Shou’s Hua-hu Tiao, who terrorized the enemy by devouring their bravest warriors.

Hua-hu Tiao devours Yang Chien

Unfortunately for the Chin-kang, the brute attacked and swallowed Yang Chien, the nephew of Yue Huang.  This genie, on entering the body of the monster, rent his heart asunder and cut him in two.  As he could transform himself at will, he assumed the shape of Hua-hu Tiao, and went off to Mo-li Shou, who unsuspectingly put him back into his bag.

The Four Kings held a festival to celebrate their triumph, and having drunk copiously gave themselves over to sleep.  During the night Yang Chien came out of the bag, with the intention of possessing himself of the three magical weapons of the Chin-kang.  But he succeeded only in carrying off the umbrella of Mo-li Hung.  In a subsequent engagement No-cha, the son of Vadjra-pani, the God of Thunder, broke the jade ring of Mo-li Ch’ing.  Misfortune followed misfortune.  The Chin-kang, deprived of their magical weapons, began to lose heart.  To complete their discomfiture, Huang T’ien Hua brought to the attack a matchless magical weapon.  This was a spike 7 1/2 inches long, enclosed in a silk sheath, and called ‘Heart-piercer.’  It projected so strong a ray of light that eyes were blinded by it.

Huang T’ien Hua, hard pressed by Mo-li Ch’ing, drew the mysterious spike from its sheath, and hurled it at his adversary.  It entered his neck, and with a deep groan the giant fell dead.

Mo-li Hung and Mo-li Hai hastened to avenge their brother, but ere they could come within striking distance of Huang Ti’en Hua his redoubtable spike reached their hearts, and they lay prone at his feet.