In truth, the Four Idols Cult’s ceremony still had a lot of events planned. How could it end right after the appointment of the new cult leader?0

While Zhao Changhe spent the afternoon copying down text as punishment, the three women gathered and deliberated for hours. They meticulously discussed various details of modifying the doctrine and adjusting it to fit the requirements of being a state religion These were planned to be formally announced by the newly-appointed cult leader in a public proclamation.0

These were the practical elements of the ceremony that truly mattered.0

Naturally, proceedings did not end abruptly after the appointment. Instead, the select group in the underground chamber moved to the surface, where the larger congregation awaited. There, Xia Chichi assumed Vermillion Bird’s role as the presiding figure, leading the assembly with an air of confident authority.0

As the massive stone doors leading to the secret realm underneath the Imperial Ancestral Temple closed, the world above was cut off from whatever transpired below.0

While Xia Chichi conducted the ceremony, she exchanged glances with Lady Three from time to time, their expressions...0