Ma Yuan is the One-Energy Immortal of White Bone Cave on Skull Mountain in Investiture of the Gods. Shen Gongbao invites him to support Yin Hong against Jiang Ziya. He comes on foot with a sword and an alarming appetite for human hearts, presenting a threat that does not fit the ordinary ranks of Shang generals or the named future gods.
When Jiang Ziya throws the God-Beating Whip, Ma Yuan catches it and puts it in his leopard-skin bag because he is not listed for investiture and the treasure cannot strike him as intended. His most terrifying art appears in battle with the grain officer Wu Rong: a huge third hand grows from behind Ma Yuan’s head, its five fingers seize the rider, and Ma Yuan tears out and eats his heart before the Zhou army. He uses the same hand to catch Tuxingsun, but the earth traveler slips underground after being thrown down.
Jiang Ziya and his officers cannot overcome Ma Yuan by ordinary means. Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun arrives to complete a predestined transformation, strips away the violent display, and takes responsibility for the immortal’s later course rather than placing him among the executed spirits. Ma Yuan’s sword, leopard-skin bag, gaunt body, rear hand, and cannibal ferocity make his brief appearance one of the novel’s most unsettling confrontations.
