In the primordial era of the cosmos, when the heavens and the earth were first separated, there existed a balance of immense power maintained by the cosmic pillars. Among these, the most critical was Mount Buzhou, the 'Unrevolving Mountain.' Located in the northwest, near the mystical Kunlun Mountains in the region now known as the Pamir Mountains, Buzhou served as the literal foundation for the sky. It was the axis mundi, the singular point where the celestial vault rested upon the terrestrial plane. As long as Buzhou remained intact, the stars revolved in their orbits, the seasons followed their prescribed paths, and the world remained level and serene.
Amidst this celestial order lived Gonggong, the formidable god of water. Gonggong was a being of terrifying proportions and strange physiology. He was described as having a head of gleaming copper and a forehead forged of iron, which gave him an almost indestructible resolve and a physical durability that surpassed any other deity. His hair was a vibrant, burning red, flowing like liquid fire through the water he commanded. Below the torso of a man, he possessed the massive, undulating body of a serpent, allowing him to glide through the deepest ocean trenches and surge through the highest riverbeds with equal ease. Gonggong was not merely a god of water, but a god of the chaotic, untamable aspects of the flood and the storm.
For eons, Gonggong lived in relative harmony with the other elemental deities, but his heart was prone to turbulence, mirroring the crashing waves he controlled. He was a creature of passion and pride, possessing a temper that could boil the seas. The catalyst for his great rage was a conflict with Zhurong, the god of fire. The rivalry between water and fire is eternal, and the clash between Gonggong and Zhurong was a war of cosmic proportions. They fought for dominance over the world, each attempting to overwrite the other's element. Zhurong’s flames scorched the earth, while Gonggong’s torrents drowned the forests. The battle raged across the continents, turning plains into swamps and mountains into ash.
As the conflict reached its zenith, Gonggong found himself outmatched by the strategic brilliance and searing intensity of Zhurong. The fire god's flames were so pervasive that Gonggong’s waters began to evaporate, and his strength waned. Overwhelmed by a sense of defeat and consumed by an uncontrollable fury, Gonggong did not seek a peaceful resolution or a strategic retreat. Instead, he allowed his rage to blind him. In a moment of absolute desperation and spite, he sought a target that would reflect the magnitude of his frustration—a target that would shake the very foundations of existence.
He turned his sights toward Mount Buzhou. Gonggong knew that the mountain was the support of the heavens. He reasoned that if he could not rule the world, he would break the world. With a roar that echoed like a thousand thunderstorms, Gonggong surged across the landscape, his serpent body carving deep canyons into the earth. He accelerated his mass, gathering all the momentum of the crashing tides, and launched himself with the full force of his divine being. He struck Mount Buzhou with his iron forehead, a collision of such violence that the shockwave shattered the silence of the universe.
The impact was catastrophic. The iron forehead of Gonggong met the ancient stone of Buzhou, and the mountain, which had stood since the dawn of time, cracked. The sound was a deafening boom that could be heard in every corner of the world. Mount Buzhou did not merely crumble; it collapsed. As the pillar of the sky gave way, the heavens began to tilt. The celestial sphere, no longer supported on the northwest side, slid violently toward the southeast. This caused the stars to shift their positions and the constellations to drift, throwing the celestial calendar into chaos.
Because the heavens tilted, the earth responded in kind. The land slanted toward the southeast, creating a permanent incline that influenced the flow of all rivers. The Great Flood followed immediately. With the support of the sky gone, the celestial reservoirs burst, and the oceans surged over the coastlines, drowning cities and plains. The world became a watery grave, reflecting the very element Gonggong commanded, though this was not a victory for him. He had succeeded in breaking the world, but in doing so, he had unleashed a chaos that threatened to consume everything, including himself.