At the beginning of Hongmeng, during the time of chaos, the great god Pangu created the world, and the energy of chaos generated four divine beasts, which guarded the four directions.
Later, Emperor Fuxi called the Heavenly Father and Nuwa the Earthly Mother. After mating, they gathered their souls to form eight sons, four boys and four girls. They were called Bagua, which also guarded the eight directions.