If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1208 The Self-Purification and Evolution of the Divine Path
Following the direction from which the sound came, Ma Gu Niang looked up and quickly discovered the Heavenly Court Envoy hiding in the deep divine dimension.

She glanced at Yu Fengxian instinctively.

Yu Fengxian indeed looked up and glanced at the talisman envoy, then turned her head to look at her and the Purple Mansion True Man.

"Hurry, Yu Fengxian has spotted us."

Ma Gu Niang moved with seemingly slow but actually swift movements, silently retreating outside.

Leaving the crowd, the two concealed their presence, gracefully soared into the sky, and then flew straight into the heavens, instantly entering the highest heavens.

When they arrived at the Lingxiao Palace, a large number of great immortals and gods had already gathered inside.

All those involved in the case have arrived, including Magu, Zifu Zhenren, and the Golden Spear Prince, who rarely appears in public.

In addition, many powerful immortals who do not usually attend court assemblies have also come. For example, the Barefoot Immortal, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady, and the Purple Star Emperor.

For example, the Antarctic Immortal Emperor.

Even at the Peach Banquet, the Antarctic Immortal (PS), the head of the Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect and a henchman of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, did not necessarily attend every time.

They don't need to eat peaches of immortality, nor do they need to give face to the Queen Mother and the Jade Emperor.

Even he has come; this temporary court assembly must be quite unusual.

Magu and the Purple Mansion Immortal felt uneasy.

"Your subject pays respects to the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West." After the two bowed, they each found a place to stand according to their status and rank.

After waiting a while longer, even Guanyin Bodhisattva and Master Xuandu arrived.

The main figures who used to be at court assemblies, such as the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King and the Civil and Martial Star Lords, were now waiting in the Tongming Hall outside and had not entered the Lingxiao Palace.

The Jade Emperor didn't let them stand there dumbfounded.

The new "Lingxiao Palace" plaque has been installed. A "Heavenly Mirror" is also inlaid on the plaque, which can look down from the Thirty-Three Heavens and illuminate all parts of the Three Realms.

At this moment, the Jade Emperor pointed the Heavenly Mirror at the Xianyang Palace in the mortal world and broadcast the "Trial of the Oath-Breaking Celestial Masters" live from the Lingxiao Palace.

Ma Gu Niang noticed that the images of Xianyang Palace displayed on the Mirror of Heaven today were much higher definition than usual.

In the past, when the Tianjing camera was used to film Xianyang, the image was always shrouded in a layer of hazy fog, making it unclear, and it would often freeze or even display a distorted image.

Because the aura of the ancestral dragon is too strong, it will affect all Taoist magic and divine arts.

The use of the Heavenly Mirror to spy on Xianyang is also a type of Taoist technique.

—Could it be that the Jade Emperor also secretly practiced Yu Fengxian's Ancestral Dragon Secret Technique? That would be incredibly unethical.
Ma Gu Niang muttered to herself, her eyes fixed intently on the grand trial at Xianyang Palace.

By this time, the torture chamber had already read out the identities and backgrounds of the wanted criminals. Qiu Mingzi, as the principal offender, appeared and recounted in detail the entire process of how he, Zhong Yuangong, He Zhenjun, and other "criminals" plotted to betray the Great Qin.

Lian Qiumingzi came to the Heavenly Court to see Taibai Xingjun, went to Dazexiang to find Fuqiu Gong; Zhong Yuangong went to find Hebo, and colluded with the Five Sacred Mountains Gods. Lian told him everything he knew without missing a single word.

To prove he wasn't lying, after he finished delivering his testimony in court, he even used the "Qi Shadow Technique," invented by Grand Tutor Yu and already familiar to the people of Xianyang.

Using the Qi Shadow Technique, he fully recounted the entire betrayal he personally experienced.

The powerful figures such as the Four Rivers Dragon Lords, the Five Sacred Mountains Gods, Taibai Xingjun, and the Four Friends of Qionglin were directly exposed to thousands of people in Xianyang.

While Ma Gu Niang was amazed by Grand Tutor Yu's audacity, she also felt a little more at ease than before.

As the truth was revealed, she became increasingly inconspicuous.

Even if her disciple Zhong Yuangong was the culprit, a treacherous and shameless villain, she would no longer be "dazzling".

There are far more "shining" gods and immortals than her.

For example, the River God, who is now dead.

The Qi Shadow Technique fully revealed the subtle expressions on his face as he incited Zhong Yuangong to rebel.

That smugness, ruthlessness, cunning, domineering, heroic, and hatred were perfectly displayed before the audience.

You can't say he's a good actor, because he wasn't acting.

As she watched, Ma Gu Niang gradually noticed something unusual: the Four Rivers Dragon Lords didn't have enough screen time, while the Five Sacred Mountains Gods had too much.

Although the River God was clearly the "mastermind," the Qi Shadow Technique devoted more screen time and attention to the Five Sacred Mountains Gods.

"What do you think?" The Jade Emperor suddenly asked before the Qi Shadow Technique had finished.

Emperor Donghua sighed, "That murderous Yu Fengxian is probably going to make a move against the Five Mountains."

Your Majesty should inform them as soon as possible.

Or perhaps we should deal with them sooner and close the case quickly, leaving Yu Fengxian with no excuse.

The Old Man of the South Pole slowly said, "Even if all the gods of the Five Sacred Mountains followed in the footsteps of the River God, it would only be a trivial matter."

Why should we gather together to discuss such a trivial matter?

—The death of all the great gods of the Five Sacred Mountains is just a minor matter? Then what would be a major matter?
Ma Gu Niang knew that this court assembly would definitely not be simple, but she did not expect the Antarctic Immortal to say such a thing.

Then she was shocked to see that the Jade Emperor slowly nodded, acknowledging this statement.

"The Four Rivers and Five Sacred Mountains are not the focus of today's court assembly. The focus is that the Primordial Heavenly Venerable and I have both discovered a terrible fact—after this Great Trial in Xianyang, our Heavenly Court's divine path is about to go from vigorous development to rapid decline."

If left unchecked, the total amount of incense offerings and prayers for the gods will decrease by 40% within ten years!
Even ten thousand years from now, the merit and power of incense offerings will hardly be able to recover to what they are today.

The Queen Mother, the Jade Emperor, Guanyin, the Old Man of the South Pole, and the Grand Master Xuandu all wore solemn expressions. The other great immortals and deities were all visibly shocked.

"How could the trial conducted by the Xianyang court have such a significant impact?" Emperor Donghua asked.

The Old Man of the South Pole said, "Didn't you hear what the Phoenix Feather Fairy said? She still wants to inform the Three Realms! The public trial is just the beginning."

The next step was to make the details of the case public, including the identity and background of the wanted criminals, which Taoist sect and palace they came from, which great immortal they followed in their cultivation, and which famous immortals and gods they were related to, and what their relationships were. A chart would be used to fully display their backgrounds and networks of relationships to the common people.

The great gods and immortals, and the Taoist temples listed in that chart will occupy half of the divine and immortal paths.

Finally, she arranged for historians to write history.

This case will be recorded in history and known to future generations.

When all beings in the three realms see how despicable the 'gods' are, they will even break their vows to the heavens without a second thought.

The radiance of 'selflessness and concern for the world' that once enveloped the immortals collapsed in an instant.

Being a god is not the same as being a 'natural saint'. Why do people worship gods instead of people, demons, monsters, or strange creatures?
It’s the same for everyone anyway.

We are gods, not demons.

It's not that we've mastered any particular primordial energy of heaven and earth, but rather that we ourselves are sacred and great.

"We must stop Yu Fengxian immediately!" Emperor Gouchen said urgently.

"Stopping her won't change what's already happened?" The Antarctic Immortal glanced at him, a flash of disdain in his eyes.

“Stopping her is not to distort the facts, but to give us a chance to make amends,” said Emperor Gouchen.

The Old Man of the South Pole shook his head and said, "No one can stop Yu Fengxian now. Even if you were to go back a few days, you still couldn't stop her."

This is the will of Heaven. The Dao Ancestor is protecting this will, so much so that none of you have been able to detect her scheme.

"The Dao Ancestor... Could it be the Primordial Lord? Is He concealing the secrets of Heaven for Yu Fengxian?" Emperor Gouchen was shocked at first, but then realized, "That's right. If her Great Judgment can have such a great impact on the divine path and the immortal path, we should have sensed it in advance."

As a result, even as the trial was nearing its end, we were still in a daze, completely unaware of the danger.

Why would the Dao Ancestor help Yu Fengxian?

“Yuanshi Tianzun is not helping Yu Fengxian,” the Jade Emperor said with emotion. “It is Yu Fengxian who is helping us.”

It helped us discover major problems in the development of the divine and immortal paths.

She discovered it, so we should solve the problem, not try to solve her problem.

The Primordial Celestial Venerable hopes that we will strive to break through our limitations and further perfect the rules of the divine and immortal paths.

Upon hearing this, the previously puzzled deities and immortals immediately showed signs of understanding and calmed down.

Nothing is perfect from the outset and cannot be improved; it can only gradually become flawed.

Humanitarian development will encounter all sorts of problems. Finding solutions to these problems is a big step forward for humanity.

The paths of gods and immortals are also constantly evolving.

The scale of the divine path at this time was vastly different from that during the Investiture of the Gods period.

Just 300,000 years ago, the Heavenly Court couldn't even muster the basic requirement of 365 righteous gods.

In the even earlier ancient times, the Heavenly Emperor even deceived, coerced, and bribed the "Great Emperors" of the human world, just to get them to go to the Heavenly Court and become "Heavenly Gods".

The emperors of the mortal realm, and even the tribal chiefs, were unwilling to become gods. They felt that the heavenly court was too "bitter and cold."

Ordinary deities, from birth to the present, live in the same divine environment and cannot perceive any changes in the divine realm.

At this moment, the great gods and immortals in the hall had personally experienced the gradual development and perfection of the divine path.

For example, Ma Gu Niang Niang witnessed three major changes in the world.

In fact, the idiom "沧海桑田" (cāng hǎi sāng tián) comes from Magu.

While showing off, she said: I have witnessed the East China Sea turn into mulberry fields three times.

Although she was very good at putting on airs, she wasn't lying; she really had lived that long.

Therefore, she understood what the Jade Emperor was saying immediately.

"The reason why the Xianyang trial occurred was entirely because we had not taught our disciples properly and had not disciplined them strictly."

"We are guilty, Your Majesty, please punish us." Magu spoke first, taking the initiative to admit her mistake and accept punishment.

The Jade Emperor slowly nodded and said, "Magu, you are right, you have committed a great crime."

Originally, if disciples made mistakes, you would also be affected by karma and cause and effect, which could be considered a punishment.

But now it seems that your karma is insufficient to atone for your sins.

Magu looked at the Antarctic Immortal and asked, "I wonder what decree the Ancestor has issued?"

The Antarctic Immortal said calmly, "The Dao Ancestor has decreed that the Heavenly Emperor, together with the Xuanmen Immortals and the Lingshan Buddhism, should devise a solution that can solve the problem and be accepted by all the immortals."

Once you have reached a conclusion, I will present it to the Dao Ancestor.

If the Dao Ancestor approves of the new Heavenly Rules after reviewing them, he will inscribe them into the 'Heavenly Heart,' making them the universal laws governing the Three Realms.

The gods exchanged glances, then looked together at the Heavenly Emperor and the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother of the West said, "I suggest we follow the Legalist path, revise the Heavenly Laws, and make the Heavenly Rules and Laws more stringent and more deterrent."

"To follow the Legalist path, are we to emulate the Qin Dynasty?" Emperor Ziwei hesitated, "But the Qin Dynasty is on the verge of collapse."

The Queen Mother said, "I do indeed intend to learn from the scriptures, but I will not simply copy them."

The Qin Dynasty's path of Legalism was like crossing a river by feeling for stones; now, it has stumbled and fallen into an abyss.

Our Heavenly Court can learn from this lesson and learn from the mistakes of the Qin Dynasty.

Of course, we are ultimately gods, different from mortals. The Qin Dynasty's laws were harsh in order to govern the people.

The Qin Dynasty failed because it excessively exploited its people, draining them of their blood, sweat, and tears, leaving them with only one path: rebellion.

Our Heavenly Court established strict laws to elevate the virtue and conduct of the gods and to uphold their sanctity on Earth. It is not intended to control the gods, much less to exploit them.

Immortals rely on incense offerings for their livelihood.

The higher a deity's virtue, the more respect they receive from mortal beings, the more incense they offer, and the stronger their divine power.

This is a good thing for all the gods.

Emperor Donghua gave the girl a deep look and said, "The Queen Mother's goal is definitely to make the Heavenly Court better."

However, the power of incense offerings is not the only thing that gods crave.

For many deities, incense offerings and power are not even their primary needs.

Immortals pursue harmony with nature and the release of their true nature.

Strict natural laws will inevitably suppress human nature, causing people to cease to be themselves.

The Queen Mother's expression was solemn as she said loudly, "Some instincts, if they are truly instincts, must be suppressed."

If the gods cannot suppress it themselves, they will let heavenly punishment help them escape!

For example, the immortal who betrayed his oath to Heaven this time.

Even ordinary people and officials during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, if they sought refuge in another country, would hold the belief that "if they are accepted, they will be loyal and dutiful."

Are the moral principles of immortals inferior to those of mortals?
Not to mention that this group of sinful immortals participated in the 'Huashan Dao Discussion'.

On Mount Hua, with the heavens above and the earth below, the Heavenly Emperor above and all living beings below, all witnessed their promise.

This is the highest form of oath to Heaven, a vow made to the heavens.

As a result, they found that they could not defeat Yu Fengxian in a fight, and without the slightest hesitation, they immediately decided to back out.

Yu Fengxian demanded that they keep their promise and even threatened them with a "divine oath." They felt wronged and indignant, believing that the promise they were forced to make did not need to be kept.

Such deities, I wish I could strike them dead with a divine thunderbolt.

When it is in one's own interest, one will uphold the "divine oath"; when it is not in one's own interest, one will find excuses for oneself and break the oath with a clear conscience.

If this is their nature, then there's no need to unleash it.

Releasing them would only bring disaster to the people.

It also brought shame upon the truly virtuous and trustworthy gods in Heaven.

This also led to the public questioning the virtues and qualifications of their teachers.

　(P.S.: The Antarctic Immortal and the Antarctic Longevity Emperor are likely not the same person. One is a character from a novel, and the other is a figure of Taoist belief. However, in this Pangu world, we will simplify the setting as much as possible and treat them as one person.)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)