 Popular Taoism typically presents the Jade Emperor as the official head deity . Intellectual ( " elite " ) Taoists , such as the Celestial Masters sect , usually present Laozi ( Laojun , " Lord Lao " ) and the Three Pure Ones at the top of the pantheon of deities . The pantheon tends to mirror the bureaucracy of Imperial China ; deities also may be promoted or demoted for their actions . 
