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The Ming Cult is a fictional cult and martial arts sect featured in the wuxia novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber by Jin Yong, first published in serial form from 1961 to 1963. It is also briefly mentioned in The Legend of the Condor Heroes, another novel also by Jin Yong. It is loosely based on Manichaeism, an actual Gnosticism religion which originated in Persia in the third century and later spread to other parts of the world, including China. The cult is based at Bright Peak () in the Kunlun Mountains and has several other branches spread throughout China. Its most powerful skills are the "Heaven and Earth Great Shift" () and the "Martial Arts of the Holy Flame Tablets" ().
The cult is secretive and conducts its activities far away from the eyes of other sects in the wulin (; "martial artists' community"). Its founding principles also deviate largely from other sects. While others typically seek to achieve a dominant position in the wulin, the Ming Cult strongly adheres to its faith and laws, which revolve around the notion of "delivering humankind from suffering and eliminating evil". This is aptly summed up in a mantra widely repeated by its members, which goes:
The cult is actually a righteous sect and not an evil cult as it is perceived in the wǔlín. Though it was welcomed during the Tang dynasty, it faces persecution later on by the government during the Song dynasty due to slanderous remarks made by its enemies in the imperial court. Apart from that, many martial artists and sects in the wǔlín who are unaware of the cult's real motives due to its conservative nature often speculate that it is inherently evil and start spreading rumors. The cult's image in society and in the wǔlín is adversely affected and marred, and it often struggles to survive in the face of powerful rivals who seek to destroy it.
During the Yuan dynasty, the Ming Cult starts a rebellion to overthrow the corrupt Yuan government and restore peace and order. However, its objective is not echoed by other sects and the common people; conversely, it faces hostility from them. The six leading orthodox sects in the wǔlín – Shaolin Sect, Wudang Sect, Emei Sect, Kunlun Sect, Kongtong Sect and Mount Hua – form an alliance to attack the cult at its headquarters on Bright Peak.
The Ming Cult's newly elected leader, Zhang Wuji, resolves the conflict and opens the cult to the wǔlín for the first time. Views and attitudes towards the cult start to change for the better, and the cult earns strong support in its mission to topple the Yuan government. Zhang Wuji eventually passes the leadership of the Ming Cult to Yang Xiao and retires from the jianghu. Hongwu Emperor, a minor leader in the cult, betrays his fellows and unites all rebel factions in China under his control. He ultimately topples the Yuan dynasty, defeats his rivals such as Chen Youliang, and establishes the Ming dynasty.
The Ming Cult's structure in Persia differs from the one in China. In Persia, the cult is led by a woman who is selected from three specially chosen virgins called "Holy Maidens" (). There are twelve Guardian Kings () instead of four. The Three Messengers (Wind, Cloud and Moon) are tasked with safekeeping the Holy Flame Tablets, the cult's most sacred artifacts. They are also the most powerful in martial arts of all the cult's members in Persia.
The "Heaven and Earth Great Shift" originated from the Ming Cult of Persia, and is the most powerful skill in the Western Regions. It is a martial art handed down from generation to generation in the Ming Cult and only the leader of the cult is qualified to cultivate it. (Although Yang Xiao was allowed to study it for many years when he wasn't the undisputed leader).
The main purpose of the "Heaven and Earth Great Shift" is to reverse the two kinds of qi of Heaven and Earth, namely rigidity and softness, yin and yang, and the red colour of the cultivator's face indicates the sinking of blood and the transformation of true qi in the body.
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