Two days later, March 3rd, Year 3584 of the Wa Emperor Calendar in the Sky-Piercing Realm, inside the main hall of the Dragon Emperor Temple in Heavenly Square City...
The Dragon Emperor Temple was exceptionally solemn and dignified that day. Even the temple itself had been newly redecorated. Just after nine in the morning, temple stewards dressed in black formal robes and divine soldiers in gleaming armor had already lined up row upon row within the main hall. Amid the long horn calls echoing throughout Heavenly Square City from outside the temple, Temple Master Huang Baimei and Chief Executor Leng Manxue led a group of divine generals preparing to join the temple into the hall. Today, the oath-recruitment ceremony of the Heavenly Square City temple was officially underway.
There were seven divine generals following behind Huang Baimei and Leng Manxue: the Liu brothers, Jiang Ruoxin, Ji Yuelan, and the three people Zhang Tie had encountered in the temple dining hall that day. All seven wore the uniform long robes of the Dragon Emperor Temple today. Every divine general wore a solemn, grave expression as they slowly followed behind the temple master and chief executor, walking beneath the gazes of the temple stewards and divine soldiers toward the main altar beneath the Dragon Emperor statue.
Naturally, that was only how it appeared on the surface. In truth, from the moment they entered the main hall, the Liu brothers, Jiang Ruoxin, and Ji Yuelan had already begun whispering among themselves in secret—divine generals, of course, used sound transmission for their whispers. Though their mouths remained closed and their faces serious, it did not hinder their exchange.
"Where's Zhang Tie? Hasn't he come yet?" Ji Yuelan was the first to ask the Liu brothers.
"No. I went to check this morning. Same as