Determining a posthumous title for the late sovereign and summing up the merits and faults of their governance was the third major matter before Helian Yunyun's ascension. It was an inevitable step in inheriting the throne, the establishment of legitimate succession, and also a profound emotional need for the new ruler.
Her mother and elder brother had swept the wind and snow from the Son of Heaven of Mu's crown for her, handing her an unprecedented empire free of all constraints. The weight of her feelings for the two generations of late sovereigns could not be entrusted to a single word.
Helian Shanhai, the fifty-sixth ruler of the Great Mu Empire, was granted the posthumous title "Saintly Martial": "One whose divine transformations defy description is called Saintly; one of mighty authority and sagely virtue is called Martial."
Helian Zhaotu, the fifty-seventh ruler of the Great Mu Empire, was granted the posthumous title "Solemnly Assisting": "One whose will is strong in defeating foes is called Solemn; one who dies in the wilderness is called Solemn. One who achieves merit through service is called Assisting; one whose steadfast heart overcomes hardness is called Assisting."
The "Saintly Martial Emperor" Cang Ming spoke of was now the "Azure Vault God Sovereign."
He said that this edict concerning "Alona" had been a final decree left behind by the Saintly Martial Emperor before her ascent to heaven. This showed that it had originally been Helian Shanhai's contingency plan—at the time, the Great Mu Empress had understood the potential of the [Gods-Beyond Idol]. She had planned that if the Mu Grand Ancestor failed in God Seizure, and all her own efforts failed as well, the Cangtu Divine Church controlled by Tu Hu would give Cang Ming its full support. Her hope was that Cang Ming could become