Councilor Xiang glanced at the seal-token dao talisman and smiled. "The Two Halls naturally trust the Three Upper Worlds."
The daoist also smiled, yet insisted, "The rules cannot be discarded. I ask that all the councilors inspect it."
Councilor Xiang nodded. "Very well. Then let Councilor Wan examine it first."
Daoist Wan accepted it. He did not treat the matter perfunctorily, but inspected it carefully and earnestly before passing it to Councilor Xiang. Though his words had been polite, his examination was equally cautious. Not only did he use his methods to inspect it, but he also sent his aura inside to make a circuit.
Only after confirming there was no problem did he pass it onward. This talisman was examined by every councilor in turn.
Every councilor held the authority to wield the Two Halls' treasures that guarded the Dao. Thus, with this object being used today, each of them had to inspect it.
At the same time, this was also an unspoken ritual. If even one person disagreed, the matter could not proceed. This was the true manifestation of the authority held by the Two Halls' councilors.
Once someone sat in the position of councilor, it was virtually impossible to remove them through ordinary means. They had to be forced from office through all manner of pretexts and conditions. But if a councilor had no scruples or cared nothing for the consequences, there was truly little that could be done to them in the short term.
In this war with Celestial Xia, quite a few councilors had either fallen in battle or gone missing, allowing many others to succeed to their places.
As for the Chief Councilors, though they did not manage specific affairs, they were the ones who truly wielded the treasures that guarded the Dao. These