Battle of the Dark Gods

Among the 10 Deities in Qi Men Dun Jia, there are two of them that has quite a villainous reputation, namely the Black Tortoise 玄武 and the Surging Snake 騰蛇. One is known to be the Thief Deity and God of Minor Offences while the other carries the moniker of the God of Fire and Deception. In Qi Men Forecasting, the presence of either of these deities usually denotes nothing good. Now, what if these two deities were to go head-to-head against one another; who would win?

First of all, let’s look at their strengths and abilities. The Black Tortoise is a schemer through and through. Mysterious, intelligent and cunning, this deity able to manipulate and bend others to their will. The Black Tortoise is considered to be a master of mind reading and persuasion. In a way, they are adept illusionists who can make something false seem so real. Being highly adaptable, the Black Tortoise is an even match to the powers of the Surging Snake.

The Surging Snake is equally sly, though the deity’s degree of manipulation covers a much larger scale. While the most popular use of manifesting this deity is to find parking spaces, it’s only a glimpse of its full potential. The Surging Snake’s true ability is manipulating the environment and surroundings to its favour. While the Black Tortoise has a better grip on understanding the psychology of their enemy, the Surging Snake has dominance over their battlefield.

In terms of weakness, both of these deities have their fair share of shortcomings. For the Black Tortoise, their strength can become their weakness. This deity’s ability of getting into people’s head stems from the fact that they are sensitive to the energies or emotions around them. If they find themselves in a negative environment, the negativity might take over and impair their decision-making abilities. It doesn’t look well for the Black Tortoise as environmental control is the Surging Snake’s forte.

As for the Surging Snake, its influence covers the environment, but not the people. The deity might set up a scenario where they can be in the right place at the right time, but people can be unpredictable. This is where the Black Tortoise has its advantage over the Surging Snake. No matter how much the Surging Snake can alter the circumstances, it can’t directly influence other people. Aside from that, they can be self-critical and this chink in the armour is something the Black Tortoise can exploit.

Now we have laid the cards of both parties on the table, it’s clear that this is a battle of wit and strategy. It’s psychological warfare versus battlefield manipulation. Let’s see how these two deities fare against each other in various conditions.

ONE-ON-ONE

The conniving nature of the Surging Snake is what allows it to misdirect truths and lie by omission. Knowing who they really are inside, the Surging Snake is prone to be self-critical and possess a great deal of self-doubt. For the Black Tortoise, it’s a matter of feeding the negativity inside the Surging Snake and cripple it with anxiety. By playing on the Surging Snake’s insecurities, the Black Tortoise emerges victorious in a straight and fair fight.

FIELD TEST

In the real world, with more variables involved, its entirely possible that the Surging Snake may not even meet the Black Tortoise directly. From a distance, the Surging Snake may conjure traps, quagmires and obstacles to ensnare its opponent. This deity might also be able to craft an environment that is utterly hostile and toxic to the point that the Black Tortoise, being sensitive to its environment, would succumb and keel over.

SHOWDOWN RESULT

In practice, there’s rarely ever a straight and fair fight; especially when the two deities that are known to use underhanded tactics are involved. Depending on the circumstances, one deity could be more favourable than the other. Through ingenuity, some deities can even circumvent their disadvantage entirely. The Black Tortoise for example can simply manipulate others to do its dark biddings rather than getting themselves caught in Surging Snake’s web of deception… provided there are others to manipulate.

It’s an interesting idea to muse which deity is stronger or which deity is more effective, but ultimately everything depends on the conditions set. As with the rest of the 10 Deities, each of them is suitable for different purposes and actions. Of course, they would be able to live up to their potential if they were given the ideal condition to shine.

Here’s another thought, what if the Surging Snake and the Black Tortoise decided to team up instead?

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