Xiaotian Quan

Depicted as a black dog, it assists Erlang Shen in battle by using its powerful bite and howl to attack, maul, or subdue demons.

Xiaotian Quan appears in Journey to the West, Fengshen Yanyi, and other legends about Erlang Shen, such as Lotus Lantern and several Chinese folktales.

[4] In the Chinese folktale of Lotus Lantern, Xiaotian Quan is the one who obstructs Liu Chenxiang from splitting Mount Hua to rescue his mother Huayue Sanniang.

[6][7] In the novel Journey to the West, Xiaotian Quan helps Erlang fight Sun Wukong, preventing him from escaping by biting him in the leg.

When ten suns scorched the earth, causing great suffering, Hou Yi courageously shot down nine of them, leaving only one to provide warmth.

[10] In the Peking opera titled An Tianhui (安天會), Xiaotian Quan is depicted as Liu Tianjun (劉天君), with a red face divided into three sections like tiles.

In the opera Nao Tiangong (鬧天宮), Liu Tianjun is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, a Taoist deity who can summon wind and rain.

[11] The Interactive Encyclopedia states that Xiaotian Quang appeared in the Yuan dynasty zaju titled Erlang Shen Locks Up the Great Sage Equaling Heaven by an anonymous author.

[9] According to Chinese historian Zhang Zhenglang's research, the prototype of Xiaotian Quan is the divine rat beside Dujian, the second son of the Northern Heavenly King Vaishravana.

In a temple in Malaysia, the statue of Xiaotian Quan closely resembles that of a German shepherd, which has angered many people due to the misleading representation.

Recognizing the loyal service of this divine beast, the temple has sculpted a special statue for worship, making it a rare guardian deity for pets.

One day, Xiaotian Quan fell into the mortal realm as punishment and was captured by humans and sold at a dog meat shop.