Artist's commentary
Dǎ Shén Biān
Dǎ Shén Biān; The God-Striking Whip. Noble Phantasm and Paopei.
A type of Conceptual Weapon bestowed upon Taigong Wang when he was charged with sealing away a god.
As its name suggests, it is a whip meant for defeating gods, and therefore possesses unparalleled strength against supernatural beings and those who lack natural lifespans.
"This weapon doesn't care who or what it fights. Most foes will die if you use this to shatter their skull."
Well, that's pretty obvious. Just about every living thing will die if it has their skull shattered, no matter what is used to do it.
This is not a whip in the traditional sense, as it lacks rope or string. Instead, it's more of a bar-shaped weapon meant for direct bludgeoning. Taigong Wang apparently prefers it over bladed weapons.
"It kind of looks like a fishing pole, right? ...Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but it certainly looks more like one than a sword. Besides, there's something elegant about how it doesn't look much like a traditional weapon at all. Hmm, how can I put this...? Oh, I know! It's not barbaric at all!"
Ah, I see. Well that makes sense. So how do you fight with this whip then?
"Mostly by shattering my opponents' skulls."
...I see. Nothing barbaric about that at all. I mean, who doesn't think of skull smashing when they think of elegance?