Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 650: Cult Leader Xia Chichi

The members of the Four Idols Cult felt deeply ashamed of their prior misguided thoughts.

They had thought that their new god was forcing their Venerable Vermillion Bird to serve him personally... Yet now, seeing the manifestation of the Vermillion Bird spreading its fiery wings in the horizon, its power and might felt even from such a great distance, it was clear that Venerable Vermillion Bird had made a significant breakthrough in her cultivation, one so major that it triggered celestial resonance.

It was clear that there had not been any personal service. Even the dual cultivation techniques that the Maitreya Cult boasted so much about were incapable of granting such advancement. The members of the cult thus fully believed that there had been none of that kind of act, but rather a true bestowal of divine blessing, one that allowed the ever-loyal and selfless Venerable Vermillion Bird to experience a leap in her cultivation.

This was a miracle among miracles, one that likely came at a great cost even to a divine being. How could they have conjured such vulgar scenarios in their minds?

The members of the cult bowed their heads in prayer, deeply repenting for their blasphemous doubts toward both their god and one of their venerables.

They vowed to remain steadfast in their faith, hoping to one day receive such a blessing that would allow them to break past the barriers that had held them back for years.

The new cult leader and Venerable Black Tortoise exchanged a long, expressionless glance. Finally, Xia Chichi said, “The new doctrine and rules of the cult have been announced. All of you are to return and study them carefully. From this day onward, we are the official state religion, and we must set an example. In particular, we must have these teachings in mind when it comes to conflict. We can no longer act according to our old ways that might brand us as demons. As for the rest, adapt them accordingly.”

The members of the cult bowed. “We obey the cult leader’s command.”

The so-called demonic nature of the Four Idols Cult had never stemmed from inherent malice. The members of the cult were not bloodthirsty or evil—in fact, they were much less violent than the Blood God Cult, whose members were true madmen. Instead, their so-called demonic nature truly came from their views that were seen to be heretical by everyone else. These views, rooted in their old doctrine, stated that the mortal realm belonged to the Night Emperor, that the Azure Dragon was the ruler of humans, and that all others were imposters who deserved to be eliminated.

But times had changed. Now, with a living god present to bless Venerable Vermillion Bird, and with the emperor truly being their own Azure Dragon, there was no longer any basis for the cult to be seen as demonic. This was the divine empire they had always aspired to. The true evil now lay with the rebellious warlords scattered across the land—how dare they defy their Holy Emperor Azure Dragon?

Xia Chichi declared, “The greatest strength of our holy cult lies in our influence among the people. As it happens, the imperial court has an urgent need for civilian support.”

“Please command us, cult leader.”

“In the past, the imperial examinations have been controlled by aristocratic families. This has allowed these families to have a monopoly on power and create networks that controlled local regions. Men like Di Muzhi are countless. I intend to reform this system... The late emperor once introduced military examinations to bolster the army and the Demon Suppression Bureau, creating a force somewhat independent of the aristocratic families. But that is not enough. The late emperor never truly grasped the principles of governance. Civil administration remained under the grip of the nobles. We need to expand beyond military exams and introduce proper imperial civil examinations... Others might face tremendous resistance attempting this, but we are the Four Idols Cult!”

We are the Four Idols Cult.

When it comes to influence among the people, the foundations of religious organizations were extremely well-suited to counter the entrenched power of aristocratic families.

Moreover, in terms of literacy and education, religious followers who had received purposeful training far outperformed members of ordinary martial arts sects. Although they could not yet match the experience of aristocratic families, they were capable of supporting a large-scale examination system and civil servant selection process.

If the noble clans resisted, then so be it. As long as there was significant civilian participation, the selected officials could all be followers of the Four Idols Cult. Could the aristocratic families sit still even then?

For a conventional imperial court, such a reform would risk widespread rebellion. But what did the imperial court here have to fear? Rebellion? Rebellion was already everywhere! The territories under the imperial court’s control were limited to the regions around the capital, Jianghuai, and Yanmen. Even the stance of the Tang Clan in Jiangnan was uncertain. The entire Central Plains was a fragmented mess, requiring a complete rebuild. The only real players left were remnants like Lu Jianzhang. If they did not act now, then when?

Yet, as Xia Chichi spoke of state affairs, her mind began to drift.

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Damn that lazy tortoise. When did she even slip away? Is this how a venerable should act? From start to finish, she never even uttered a single word! She just sat there like a mascot, one step short of grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds to snack on. And now, when matters of governance are being discussed, she didn’t even bother to stay and watch! She simply left!

One was off sneaking away, while the other was busy flirting with her man. She was the only one left to handle all the serious matters of their cult.

Xia Chichi finally understood what it meant for karma to come back around.

Is this how Master felt when she was governing the cult?

Wait a minute... Did she support my rise to cult leader and willingly take the role of advisor not out of selflessness, but to offload her chores?

* * *

While Xia Chichi was diligently performing her duties as cult leader, Vermillion Bird lay sprawled across the table. Her mask remained in place, her eyes vacant and unfocused. Her ceremonial robes were still on but loosely opened on either side. Her legs dangled limply off the edge, quivering slightly with each pulse of exhaustion.

The scattered copies of the cult’s sacred text lay around her, pages fluttering like drifting snowflakes.

Even in her dazed state, Vermillion Bird’s mind wandered.

Isn’t this the exact depiction of a demonic cult’s sacrificial rite?

Even Zhao Changhe’s demeanor earlier had been different from when he was with her as Huangfu Qing. He had clearly been more excited this time.

There truly is but a fine line between gods and demons.

Yet the surging power within her body was undeniable. If taming her heart flame had previously pushed her to the early stages of the third layer of the Profound Mysteries, and if these months of consolidation had brought her to the middle of the third layer, she was now undoubtedly at the peak of the third layer, ready to knock on the door to the Profound Control Realm.

Breaking through that barrier was now a simple matter. All she needed was to revisit that place she had glimpsed, to experience it fully just once.

To say this was the result of dual cultivation was not quite accurate. The session of dual cultivation was merely a key. The true catalyst had been the Heavenly Tome’s insights and the spatial manipulation akin to compressing vast worlds into tiny grains. This was not Zhao Changhe’s own ability—it was the power of the secret realm itself, a magical artifact. The feats possible here were worlds apart from those achievable outside.

Yet Vermillion Bird was certain: even Xia Longyuan, who could descend upon any place in the heavens, could not take others with him. Otherwise, he would have taken Xia Chichi straight to the distant Skyrim Island, saving time and reducing uncertainty. The fact that he had not done so meant that he was unable to. But Zhao Changhe had done exactly that.

“How did you do it?” Vermillion Bird asked weakly, sitting up and leaning into his embrace. Her voice was a whisper. “You’ve only just broken through the third layer of the Profound Mysteries. How can you accomplish something only gods can do?”

Zhao Changhe kissed her gently. “If I tell you the truth, then you better not think I’m just saying what you want to hear.”

Vermillion Bird shook her head. “I won’t.”

Zhao Changhe said, “When I forged River of Stars, the stars themselves answered my call. My control over this subterranean sky, the firmament of this secret realm, surpasses even Xia Longyuan’s. Otherwise, what would have been the point of forging that sword? In that sense, I truly am the Night Emperor. There’s no need for you to agonize over whether you count as a traitor.”

Vermillion Bird was stunned for a moment. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? You just wanted to challenge me and force me to submit, didn’t you?”

“If I didn’t prove myself through action, would words have convinced you?” Zhao Changhe asked. “Besides, I never planned to carry the title of the Four Idols Cult’s revered god to justify anything between us... When it’s just between you and me, then it’s simply between you and me. If you want to hit me, hit me. If you want to punish me, punish me. Is calling myself a god really all that meaningful?”

When their relationship was purely between the two of them and had nothing to do with any so-called faith, and only afterward did she find that he was indeed connected to faith, it genuinely brought joy to her. She pouted slightly and whispered, “You always know what to say. Are you telling me that you’ve never imagined Venerable Vermillion Bird kneeling before you?”

Zhao Changhe leaned in and kissed her ear. “You know exactly what I want...”

Vermillion Bird replied, “So you’re thinking of humiliating me again, aren’t you? Why don’t you treat Tang Wanzhuang like this?”

And here we go again...

Zhao Changhe smiled wryly and whispered, “But the lips I desire most still belong to Vermillion Bird... No one else’s tempt me quite the same way...”

Vermillion Bird did not know whether his obsession should make her proud or embarrassed. But at this point, there was no need for her to act aloof in front of him anymore—she was willing.

But in that moment, she chose not to grant his wish. Her eyes turned under the mask, and she suddenly said, “I don’t believe it. If someone else was here, you’d be just as happy...”

As she spoke, her seemingly weak hand suddenly reached out and grasped at the air. “Someone like this one, perhaps?”

“AH!” Lady Three exclaimed as she was pulled in out of nowhere.

She had been sneaking around, ready to watch Vermillion Bird serve Zhao Changhe with her mouth, but she was caught off guard by Vermillion Bird, whose cultivation had just surged. She was dragged through the air and landed on the table.

“Uh... Well, what a coincidence! You guys are here too?” Lady Three edged backward cautiously. “I was just passing by. Please, carry on... Don’t mind me...”

This time, Zhao Changhe could not hold back his laughter. He grabbed Lady Three by the collar. “Did you have fun this morning? Editing those out-of-context clips to get me into trouble? Venerable Black Tortoise, what do you think your punishment should be?”