Jiang Ziya is one of the central figures of Investiture of the Gods. In his earlier life he studies Daoist cultivation at Kunlun Mountain under Yuanshi Tianzun. He is eventually ordered by his master to descend into the human world, where he gradually becomes a leading figure in the cause of Xiqi.
After leaving the mountains, Jiang Ziya experiences an uncertain period in ordinary society before traveling west. While fishing by the Wei River, he attracts the attention of Ji Chang, who receives him with great respect and brings him into the Zhou political and military world.
As the struggle against the Shang develops, Jiang Ziya becomes a principal commander of the Zhou forces. At the same time, he serves as a bridge between human warfare and the supernatural world. Disciples of the Chan tradition, immortals, magical warriors, and wielders of powerful treasures increasingly enter the conflict, transforming the dynastic war into the enormous Investiture struggle.
Jiang Ziya also carries responsibility for the final investiture of the fallen. Many figures killed during the war ultimately enter the divine order through the Investiture List, and Jiang Ziya performs the final appointments. He therefore stands at the structural center of the novel, connecting military command, supernatural intervention, and the establishment of the postwar divine hierarchy.
