Zhao Gongming (simplified Chinese: 赵公明; traditional Chinese: 趙公明), also known as Zhao Gong Yuanshuai (趙公元帥, "Marshal Zhao") and Xuantan Zhenjun (玄壇真君, "Genuine Lord of the Dark Altar"), is a god of wealth in Chinese folk religion and Taoism. He is the most widely venerated of the various forms of Caishen, and is conventionally identified as the central figure of the Five Roads Wealth Gods system. Within the Chinese pantheon, Zhao Gongming is the principal Military God of Wealth (武財神; wǔ cáishén), distinguished by his armoured iconography from the Civil Wealth Gods (文財神) such as Bi Gan and Fan Li, who are depicted in court robes. His birthday is commemorated on the fifth day of the first lunar month in widely observed Chinese New Year customs and on the fifteenth day of the third lunar month at his principal cult sites. He appears for the first time in the classic Chinese novel Fengshen Yanyi (封神演义), contrary to claims in Pochu Mixin Quanshu (破除迷信全书, "Comprehensive Book for Eradicating Superstition") that he was a creation of the Song era.

The legendary biography of Zhao Gongming is composite, layering successive traditions from the Han dynasty through the Ming dynasty. The earliest stratum identifies him as a plague-causing demon-marshal; the Six Dynasties compendium Soushen Ji records him as one of three generals appointed by the Heavenly Emperor to retrieve human souls. The transformation from a plague-marshal into a wealth-bestowing deity took place principally during the Song dynasty and was canonised in the Ming dynasty novel Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods), in which Zhao is killed in battle and posthumously deified as the central Lord of the Dark Altar with four wealth-attendant subordinates.

A late tradition preserved in the compilation Dianji Shilu (典籍實錄) associates Zhao Gongming with solar essence; the work is a late editorial compilation rather than a securely dated Han dynasty text, and the sun-essence motif more probably reflects an assimilation to the Hou Yi / Eight Immortals of the Sea cycle.

During the Jin dynasty, the 搜神記 Soushen Ji recorded that "the Heavenly Emperor appointed three generals, Zhao Gongming and Zhong Shiji, each to supervise the subjugation of spirits and the retrieval of human souls".

According to the Biographies of Deities and Immortals (列仙全傳), Zhao Gongming served as the leader of the eight ghostly legions, roaming throughout the mortal realm and causing the violent deaths of countless people. The Grand Supreme Elder Lord (Taishang Laojun) commanded Master Zhang to address this.

According to the religious compendium Sanjiao Soushen Daquan, Zhao Gongming lived during the late Warring States period. When the King of Qin founded the Qin empire, he withdrew to Mount Zhongnan, located in present-day Shaanxi Province in northwest China. There he cultivated Tao and attained the highest state of spiritual enlightenment. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Tianshi practiced the art of making pills of immortality and asked the Jade Emperor to send a god to protect him. The Jade Emperor sent Zhao Gongming and conferred upon Zhao the title of "Zhengyi Xuantan Marshal" (正一玄坛元帅). After this, he became known as "Zhao Xuan." He was said to have the ability to control thunder and lightning, ward off plagues and disasters, and generate wealth and treasure.

The Annotated Compilation of Langya Gold and Stone Inscriptions (琅琊金石輯注) states the origin of the God of Wealth, known by the surname Zhao Minglang and the courtesy name Gongming. In a distant era, when the heavens bore ten suns, the Emperor commanded the archer Hou Yi to shoot down nine of them. Eight of these suns descended into the sea and were transformed into immortals, known as the Eight Immortals of the Sea. The remaining sun fell upon Tiantai Mountain, taking the form of a stone known as the Sun Stone. Its essence later assumed human form. As he matured, he journeyed to Emei Mountain to cultivate and acquire the arts of immortality.

During the conflicts between the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, Prime Minister Wen Zhong of the Shang Dynasty invited him to descend from his mountain abode and assist in the battle. However, the Shang forces faced defeat, and Jiang Ziya subsequently caused Zhao Gongming's death through ritual magic. After his death, Jiang Ziya posthumously deified him as the God of Wealth. He was further honored with the title of Xuantan Zhenjun (玄壇真君), and his essence returned to Tiantai Mountain.