King of Creation Chapter 1703: 1688: Real Authority and Power

According to Princess Changle, the ceremony where she led people at the posthouse to complete Ye Zhen's appointment as the Left Chief Priest of the Barbarian Spirit Hall within the Ancestor God Temple was merely a partially finished inauguration for the position.

The organizational structure within the Ancestor God Temple isn't as intricate as that of the Heavenly Temple.

Primarily, it comprises various Hall Masters and Deputy Hall Masters, alongside Left and Right Chief Priests and other official roles.

Within the Ancestor God Temple, Hall Masters are also referred to as Chief Priests. For instance, Prime Minister Bai currently holds the position of Grand Hall Master for the Ancestor's Blessing Hall, who is also known as the Great Chief Priest of the Ancestor Fortune Hall.

Following the Hall Master are the Deputy Hall Masters. However, influenced by the rigid hierarchy of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the positions within the Ancestor God Temple are distinctly defined.

Regardless of the number of Deputy Hall Masters serving in a hall, each one holds a specific rank. For example, there is a First Deputy Hall Master, Second Deputy Hall Master, Third Deputy Hall Master, and so forth. This ranking among Deputy Hall Masters is not merely symbolic.

Should a conflict arise between two Deputy Hall Masters and the numerous regulations of the Ancestor God Temple fail to provide a resolution, the Deputy Hall Master with the superior rank possesses the final say.

Furthermore, the ranking of Deputy Hall Masters dictates their authority, the scope of their responsibilities, and their influence in decision-making.

Naturally, not all matters can be unilaterally decided by the Hall Master. During peacetime, if a majority of the Deputy Hall Masters voice opposition, the Hall Master's decisions cannot be enacted.

Beneath the Hall Master, each hall designates Left and Right Chief Priests, mirroring the checks and balances found in the Great Zhou's governmental framework.

Under typical circumstances, the Left and Right Chief Priests are appointed by the Hall Master to provide assistance. Their standing is lower than that of a Deputy Hall Master, yet their influence often rivals that of Deputy Hall Masters, and at times, can even surpass it.

Most often, Left and Right Chief Priests are considered the Hall Master's trusted aides, wielding significant authority within a hall, including command over finances and personnel appointments.

To be candid, both the Heavenly Temple and the Ancestor God Temple function as distinct forms of court systems, with the crucial difference that here, martial prowess holds greater significance.

This describes the organizational makeup of the majority of branches under the Ancestor God Temple.

However, the Barbarian Spirit Hall, where Princess Changle has assumed her role, operates under a different structure.

Prior to Princess Changle's assumption of command, the Barbarian Spirit Hall was a neglected branch within the Ancestor God Temple, possessing limited influence and status, and was generally overlooked.

This situation stemmed from the world's significant transformations, the incursion of the Demon Clan, and the subsequent defection of the Barbarian Clan, all contributing to the decline of the Barbarian Spirit Hall.

To such an extent that, for an unknown number of millennia, the Barbarian Spirit Hall had not had a Chief Priest or a Hall Master.

The cultivation techniques employed vary among the different branch halls of the Ancestor God Temple, with their respective strengths tied to the Ancient God Battle Spirits they venerate.

This distinction further underscores the ideological divergence between the Heavenly Temple and the Ancestor God Temple.

The Heavenly Temple's doctrine posits that achieving a certain level of cultivation bestows godhood. Gods are entities to be worshipped.

As mere mortals who have not yet attained divinity, individuals must offer unyielding devotion to True Gods. All adherents are considered servants of these deities.

In the pursuit of divine honor, they are expected to advance relentlessly, disregarding personal safety.

Conversely, the Ancestor God Temple adheres to a different philosophy. They contend that the Heavenly Temple elevates cultivators who reach the Creation Realm to divine status, portraying these gods as avaricious beings concerned only with receiving and never with giving back.

The Ancestor God Temple teaches that gods are simply exceptionally strong individuals who have achieved a particular stage of cultivation; they are still fundamentally human, still fellow Martial Artists.

Martial Artists of lesser cultivation might revere these so-called gods, but such venerated gods are also expected to offer reciprocal benefits to their worshippers.

This reciprocal veneration fosters mutual strengthening for both parties involved.

This clash in doctrines leads to fundamentally different strategies of expansion between the Heavenly Temple and the Ancestor God Temple.

The Heavenly Temple seeks devoted followers, aiming for unwavering believers to ensure perpetual worship; consequently, they aggressively claim territories and gather vast numbers of adherents.

The Ancestor God Temple, however, adopts a path focused on cultivating an elite force.

From another perspective, one could liken the Heavenly Temple to a pyramid, where all resources are channeled towards its apex.

The Ancestor God Temple, in contrast, bears a greater resemblance to an hourglass, with power flowing and reinforcing in both directions, allowing each end to gain what it requires.

Consequently, the priests serving the Ancestor God Temple ascend in their cultivation at speeds that far surpass those of the Heavenly Temple adherents. Nevertheless, due to the Ancestor God Temple's practice of offering war spirit clans and its considerable consumption of Divine Sense and Essence Blood, the lifespans of its followers are generally not as prolonged as those connected to the Heavenly Temple.

This divergence cultivates two distinct paths within the realm of Martial Arts.

As the priests of the Ancestor God Temple pursue their cultivation, their progress hinges not only on personal effort but, more crucially, on the spiritual development of the Ancient Ancestors’ Battle Soul Spirit Clans they venerate and the subsequent rewards they receive.

Branch halls that manage to offer exceptionally potent Ancient God War Souls are blessed with greater feedback, empowering the priests under their tutelage to accelerate their cultivation dramatically.

For illustration, the Great Sun Temple, the origin of Great Chief Priest Prime Minister Bai, is reputed to venerate the True Body of the Ancient Golden Crow. The priests within the Great Sun Ancestral Hall experience enhancements to their cultivation at truly astonishing paces.

Within a mere century, a considerable number have attained the Realm King Realm, and reaching the pinnacle of the Ninth Stage Realm King Realm to become elite Star Priests in such a compressed timeframe is not an uncommon occurrence.

However, it is important to note that not every branch hall is fortunate enough to worship an Ancient God War Soul as formidable as the one associated with the Great Sun Temple.

While other branches might achieve a degree of parity, even if they fall short of the Great Sun Temple's prowess, the disparity is often not overwhelming.

Yet, the Barbarian Spirit Hall stands in a category of its own, undeniably the weakest branch hall within the entirety of the Ancestor God Temple.

The rationale behind this is straightforward: the Barbarian Spirit they revere never even reached the Mid-stage of the Realm King Realm during its existence, a mere Third Stage of the Realm King Realm.

This inherent limitation has resulted in priests affiliated with the Barbarian Spirit Hall experiencing exceptionally slow progress in their cultivation.

Initially, their advancement was only marginally slower than that of other branches, but this gap has widened considerably over the passage of time.

On average, it requires no less than five hundred years for a dedicated Star Priest from the Barbarian Spirit Hall to reach the Peak of the Ninth Stage Realm King Realm, a duration exceeding five times that needed in the Great Sun Temple.

Consequently, if not for the practice of forcibly assigning certain priests to the Barbarian Spirit Hall each year, it is likely that the hall would eventually become devoid of members.

Despite these measures, the Barbarian Spirit Hall continues to grapple with a declining population.

This decline is not solely attributable to cultivation impediments; the hall has perpetually lacked an official Hall Master, functioning with just two Deputy Halls Masters.

Nevertheless, this challenging situation experienced a subtle shift three years prior when Princess Changle inherited the mantle of the Barbarian Saintess and subsequently joined the Barbarian Spirit Hall. Following deliberations among Great Chief Priest Bai and other high-ranking officials within the Ancestor God Temple, Princess Changle was promptly installed as the First Deputy Hall Master of the Barbarian Spirit Hall.

Since her appointment, the circumstances within the Barbarian Spirit Hall have demonstrated a modest improvement, though not a dramatic one. Under Princess Changle's guidance, the pace at which priests enhance their cultivation has seen a slight but perceptible increase.

According to Princess Changle's own account, a comprehensive explanation of the intricate rules and hidden secrets that govern the Ancestor God Temple would necessitate days and nights of continuous discourse.

Even so, she managed to provide Ye Zhen with a concise overview of the current state of the Barbarian Spirit Hall.

Notwithstanding the inherent weakness of the Barbarian Spirit Hall, its Left and Right Chief Priests continue to wield significant, envied authority in the eyes of external observers.

And this influence is not merely a matter of perceived status; it translates into tangible strength!

Today, Princess Changle escorts Ye Zhen, recently appointed as the Left Chief Priest, to fully embrace this influential position and the accompanying might!