Info on the Jade Emperor:It was said that the Jade Emperor was originally the crown prince of the kingdom of Pure Felicity and Majestic Heavenly Lights and Ornaments. At birth he emitted a wondrous light that filled the entire kingdom. When he was young, he was kind, intelligent and wise. The crown prince devoted his entire childhood to helping the needy (the poor and suffering, the deserted and single, the hungry and disabled). Furthermore, he showed respect and benevolence to both men and creatures. After his father died, the crown prince ascended the throne. He made sure that everyone in his kingdom found peace and contentment. After that, he told his ministers that he wished to cultivate Dao on the Bright and Fragrant Cliff. After 1,750 trials, each trial lasting for 120,976 years, he attained Golden Immortality. After another a hundred million years of cultivation, he finally became the Jade Emperor. (Using the given figures, this period before his becoming the Jade Emperor lasted for a total of about 211,708,000 years.)
Info on the Queen Mother:Xi Wangmu (西王母), in Chinese mythology, literally "Queen Mother of the West" is the ruler of the western paradise and goddess of immortality. She is charged with overseeing the wall of heaven.
Originally, from the earliest known depictions of her in the "Guideways of Mountains and Seas" during the Zhou Dynasty, she was a ferocious goddess with the teeth of a tiger, who sent plagues down upon the world. After she was adopted into the Taoist pantheon, she was transformed into a benign deity. In popular Chinese mythology, Xi Wangmu lived in a palace made entirely of peaches, so she has often been considered the patron deity of peach pit carvers. It was said the fragrance of the peaches of her palace could be smelled miles away, and the fragrance could put even the unhappiest person to sleep. She also possesses a peach tree which, every 3,000 years, produces a peach that grants immortality. Her role with respect to immortality and everlasting happiness probably arose from her origin as the goddess of fertility.
Info on Er-lang Shen and Celestial Hound:Er-lang Shen (二郎神), named Yang Jian (杨戬), is a Chinese God with a third true-seeing eye in the middle of his forehead. A warring deity, he wields a Sān Jiān Ling Rèn Dāo (三尖两刃刀 - "Three-Point Double-Blade Knife") and always has his faithful Xiàotiān quǎn (啸天犬 - "Howling Celestial Dog") by his side. This dog helps him subdue evil spirits.
Er-lang Shen may be a deified version of several semi-mythical folk heroes who help regulate China's torrential floods, dating variously from the Qin, Sui and Jin dynasties. A later Buddhist source identify him as the second son of the Northern Heavenly King Vaishravana.
In the Ming semi-mythical novels Creation of the Gods and Journey to the West Er-lang Shen is the nephew of the Jade Emperor. In the former, he assisted the Zhou army in defeating the Shang. In the latter, he is the offspring of a mortal and the Jade Emperor's sister.
Throughout the course of Erlang's duel between Sun Wukong in Journey To The West, he had been the stronger adversary. After many transformations that were performed in their duel (Wukong fleeing as a fish; Erlang and Wukong becoming larger birds, and so forth). Near the conclusion of the battle, he managed to see through Wukong's disguise (as a temple) using his third-eye. He was defeated at first, but eventually defeated Wukong through teamwork with several other gods; Lao Tzu personally had dropped his refined golden ring that had hit Wukong on the head, giving Erlang a chance to bring him down, and the Celestial Dog bit him in the leg. After Wukong had been captured, he and his heavenly soldiers would burn random areas of the Flower Fruit Mountain. Erlang would once again be seen far later into the novel, in which he would assist Wukong through chance by fighting against a certain ancient Dragon King and his allies.
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