An Overview of the Faith Crises in the Xianzhou Alliance

Besides those who believed in Aeons, some also believed in non-Aeon beings, such as the Homeward Sect that believed in the Primeval Imperium Emperor, the Flint Emperor Sect that believed in the Flint Emperor, and the Reignbow Sect that believed in Reignbow (the version of Reignbow who had not become an Aeon at that time). This sounds bizarre too. It's hard to believe there were people who believed in non-Aeon beings in an advanced civilization with a clear understanding of Aeons. The historical documents about the followers of these two factions have now become important resources in the field of religious psychology. Many monographs study the psychological mechanisms behind these beliefs, but it is not possible to include their content within the confines of this small document. Here, we will only discuss the most apparent motivation of these believers. For those of the Homeward Sect, their faith and loyalty to the Primeval Imperium Emperor was largely just a facade. Their choice of belief was not a philosophical one, but a political one. This is actually quite understandable. Although the Xianzhou people at that time had never been home, their longing to be back never waned. So, these homesick people declared, "We should not continue our voyage alone. Instead, we should answer the call of our emperor and find our way back to our homeland." After the foxians joined the Xianzhou Alliance, many of them who wished to rebuild their homeland (the Verdantia Sect) merged with the Homeward Sect. Till this day, they remain a political force to be reckoned with. From this incongruous merging, we can see that this style of faith stands as something akin to a slogan for the Homeward Sect (as well as the Verdantia Sect). All they want is to be back in their homeland. On the other hand, those of the Flint Emperor Sect looked like they were betting their future on their beliefs. They were convinced that the Flint Emperor would one day become an Aeon, and the only thing that stood in the way of the Flint Emperor's ascendancy was the captivity of the Xianzhou people. If they followed the Flint Emperor firmly, liberated the heliobi, and helped the Flint Emperor become an Aeon, then when the Flint Emperor became the ruler of a Path, they would become the closest mortals to the Aeon and benefit from the power of the Path. To no one's surprise, this belief soon led to criminal activity, and those involved were arrested by the relevant authorities. These extremists who supported the Flint Emperor wholeheartedly eventually receded into oblivion. The only notable thing about this farce is that the Flint Emperor Sect remained undecided on the Path that the Flint Emperor would rule even until its demise. Some suggested "Intelligence," some proposed "Flame," and even some mentioned "Grilling," which sounded like they would have control over all the grilled meat skewers in the Cosmos.