The Celestial Emperor = a celestial emperor
Punish Heaven (Xíngtiān 刑天) = a challenger, still working havoc
The Celestial Emperor (Tiāndì 天帝 ) was sitting one day upon his throne when an alarmed guard told him that the palace was being attacked by a huge giant. The Celestial Emperor seized his imperial sword (bǎojiàn 宝剑) and went to see.
Outside the gate stood a huge giant, naked to the waist, carrying a shield and flailing an immense battle-ax at the guards.
“Stop,” shouted the Celestial Emperor. “Who are you and why are you here making trouble?”
“I am named Punish Heaven (Xíngtiān 刑天), and I have come to contest your throne because you are not an effective ruler.”
So the Celestial Emperor and Punish Heaven joined sword to ax, and fought for a long time, until finally they had fought their way down to earth and the foot of Mt. Chángyáng (Chángyáng Shān 常羊山).
At last with a major effort, the Celestial Emperor succeeded in cutting off Punish Heaven’s head, which fell to the ground with a resounding thud. That should have been the end of the matter, but, when he discovered his head had been cut off, Punish Heaven did not simply die. Instead he began groping about for his head. As he groped, he smashed trees and boulders and worked great destruction.
It occurred to the Celestial Emperor that, should Punish Heaven find his head, he would no doubt put it back on his shoulders and once again attack imperial authority. So the emperor took the imperial sword and sliced open Mt. Chángyáng, threw in the head, and closed it up again.
Suddenly Punish Heaven stopped looking for his head, and he seized his shield and ax again. As the Celestial Emperor looked on in horror, Punish Heaven’s teats seemed to turn into eyes, and his navel seemed to become a mouth, and, with his face thus moved onto his trunk, he attacked once more, more savagely than ever
In fear and horror the Celestial Emperor fled back to his heavenly palace. Punish Heaven to this day continues to work destruction in the world.