Hierarch, this title didn't stem from the four continents or Central Domain, tracing its origins to the Eternal Night Dynasty. There, in times of instability, the number one God-Child candidate of a generation would—if he could receive Yongye's favor—take on the position of Hierarch, thereby becoming the spiritual leader of Yongye's faith in the Great Desolation World.
As some can guess, this title was in direct contradiction with the God-Monarch position. After all, if the clan's only active god couldn't even assume the mantle of spiritual leader, what did they achieve godhood for? Thus, in stable times, the God-Monarch was also the hierarch. But whenever the Hengye clan faced a crisis that—for one reason or another—the reigning and future God-Monarch couldn't solve, the hierarch position would be detached from their throne and granted to the one most favored by Yongye.
