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

Chapter 1209 The Cataclysm of the End Times
Emperor Donghua said, "Of course I do not support the crime of breaking an oath."

However, now that there are no new, strict heavenly laws, even the gods in heaven despise and resist treachery, regarding it as an unacceptable form of depravity.

The large-scale breach of oath by Akiko and her group is a special case and cannot be regarded as a general occurrence.

New rules can be formulated for these special cases, but there is no need to fundamentally rewrite the laws of nature at this time.

From the time of the Investiture of the Gods to the present, three hundred thousand years has passed, neither a long nor a short time. The paths of gods and immortals have flourished alongside the path of humanity.

Since it is flourishing, it means that the current celestial laws are extremely favorable to the divine and immortal paths.

Just like in Xiaoyu's previous life, there is a rule on the court: the champion will not change tactics.

Winning the championship proves the tactics were correct. Rapid development indicates the timing of the divine intervention was perfect.

Therefore, the Emperor's words were immediately agreed upon by many gods.

Some people nodded slightly, while others directly echoed their agreement.

Ultimately, the rules and laws of heaven are aimed at the gods and immortals; they are the ones who are subject to them.

The stricter Heavenly Rules will inevitably have a direct and far-reaching impact on them, most likely a negative one. To be honest, they are quite satisfied with the current environment in Heaven.

It is extremely rare for the Celestial Masters of the Great Qin Dynasty to collectively break their oath. In countless years of human history, this has never happened before.

Yu Fengxian's willingness to publicly try deities and her ability to suppress the situation, preventing deities from interrupting the trial, is unprecedented in human history.

They all disapproved of breaking their oaths, but they also did not believe that this case represented a common phenomenon.

The Queen Mother said, "Donghua, do you know why Qiu Mingzi and the others dared to break their oath to Heaven?"

Do they not know what a divine oath represents, or do they not know that breaking a divine oath will anger 'Heaven'?

Donghua pondered for a moment and said, "Before Qiu Mingzi defected, he came to the Heavenly Court to see Taibai Xingjun. At that time—"

The old man hurriedly said, "I did receive Qiu Mingzi at the time, but I didn't promise him anything."

Instead, he sternly warned him that His Majesty detests those who break their oaths to Heaven, and His Majesty will certainly punish those who break their oaths to Heaven.

His Majesty told me personally that when Qiu Mingzi undergoes his next tribulation, he will definitely let him taste the five signs of decay of a celestial being.

All you great immortals surely understand the horror of the Five Signs of Decay in a celestial being. This is tantamount to a death sentence for Qiu Mingzi.”

Donghua waved his hand and said, "I know. Qiu Mingzi also knows the attitude of the Heavenly Court and His Majesty, but he is still willing to take the risk."

He believed that this great calamity was an opportunity. As long as he assisted the true emperor in achieving great things, he could receive the blessing of human fortune, cleanse himself of sins and karma, and would not be afraid of the three calamities and five tribulations or the five signs of decay of heaven and man.

What I mean is, since the problem lies in the idea that 'deities can use the dynasty's fortune to cleanse their sins,' why not formulate new heavenly laws to address this kind of wishful thinking?

For example, when Heaven weakens the emperor's power, the dynasty's right to offer sacrifices to Heaven can be restricted.

Now, not only is the emperor's power too strong, but the dynasty itself also possesses too much power over sacrifices.

Yu Fengxian was merely the Grand Tutor of the last dynasty, yet he could easily communicate with heaven and earth and receive a response from the heavens.

The mighty Dragon God of the Four Rivers, a great god of the Heavenly Court, possessing the rank of Star Lord, was actually deposed by a 'mortal'.

Yu Fengxian will once again offer sacrifices to Heaven and bestow the title of River God.

They completely bypassed the Heavenly Court, only notified the Heavenly Court, and did not need to obtain the Heavenly Court's permission.

This kind of power, like the power of the emperor, will become extremely terrifying if it is not restrained.

New celestial rules can be set to increase the difficulty for the dynasty's "Grand Preceptor" to communicate with heaven and earth.

This prevents them from easily using the dynasty's fortune to cleanse cultivators of their karma.

The Queen Mother shook her head and said, "You're just treating the symptoms, not the root cause of the problem."

The fundamental reason why Akiko dared to break his oath was that his past experiences taught him that "breaking a heavenly oath is no big deal."

This isn't because a particular celestial law is flawed; the problem lies at its root.

The Huashan Daoist Debate brought together over six hundred newly appointed Celestial Masters, with nearly five hundred defecting. How could this be an exception?
This is a common phenomenon!

Not all the Celestial Masters who remained at the Imperial Observatory of Qin were truly keeping their oaths.

Alas, the most conscientious and responsible newly appointed Celestial Masters are actually Jin Zhong, Jin Long, and Jin Guang from other realms.

The outer realm of Jin'ao Island is a perfect example of the Jie Sect's style and rules.

They don't value the root of the mind, but we value it extremely.

Isn't this outcome embarrassing for the two Dao Ancestors?
If the Dao Ancestor is ashamed, then we immortals are even more utterly humiliated.

Wen Zhong and the other great masters of the Jie Sect were both very unhappy and proud.

He was unhappy with the Queen Mother's prejudice against the Jie Sect.

The performance of the proud Jin Zhong, Jin Guang, and Jin Long, the "original disciples of the Jie Sect," even earned the approval of the Queen Mother of the West.

You should know that Jin Zhong and his two companions have been defying fate and helping the Qin Dynasty reduce natural disasters.

The Purple Mansion True Man said, "Your Majesty, the fact that the Celestial Masters collectively broke their oath this time is indeed a bit special."

The Heavenly Laws of the past have always told all the gods that the first commandment of gods is not to disobey the mandate of Heaven.

All virtuous people in the Three Realms know that the Great Qin has lost its Mandate of Heaven.

Their betrayal of Qin and their unwillingness to serve Qin stemmed largely from their fear of defying the Mandate of Heaven.

The Queen Mother said, "If they are afraid of defying the will of Heaven, why would they voluntarily participate in the selection of the Grand Tutor?"

The Purple Mansion True Man said, "They believe that achieving the result of 'following the will of Heaven' is the most important thing."

Even if there are unethical behaviors during the process, they can be tolerated.

The Queen Mother sighed, "Those who only care about the result and not the process are neither gods nor immortals, but demons with deep-seated obsessions!"
Even more 'demonic' than Yu Fengxian.

She openly declared that she wanted to change the fate of the Qin Dynasty.

But she insisted—only a dynasty that makes China and humanity better can become a 'new dynasty.'

The White Emperor said, "She did say that, but just because she said it doesn't mean she can definitely do it."

Now that she is not under much pressure or facing a crisis, she naturally possesses high moral character.

As the building crumbles and her situation deteriorates, she will surely disregard all notions of China and humanity.

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, given her personality, she would definitely prioritize saving her own life and trying to preserve any existing benefits.

"The point isn't whether Yu Fengxian can maintain her faith. The point is, we are immortals!!"
Gods must be more sacred and sublime than other people, otherwise they are not worthy of being called 'gods'.

Destiny can only be born from light and righteousness.

"We don't need to become sordid and filthy in order to uphold the Mandate of Heaven; it's unnecessary," the Queen Mother said in a deep voice.

Emperor Donghua glanced at the Jade Emperor.

The Jade Emperor lowered his head and looked meek, appearing to be a quiet and obedient listener.

The Emperor was furious: This couple was putting on their usual act again, one of them acting the good cop, and the other waiting until the end to play the bad cop.

"Qiu Mingzi didn't suddenly have a stroke. We must be honest, he risked descending to the mortal realm to fulfill his destiny at the cost of breaking his oath, actually carrying a mission from the Heavenly Court." After the Emperor finished speaking, he specifically looked at the Jade Emperor.

The Jade Emperor was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed.

However, without him saying a word, his henchman Taibai Xingjun immediately said in a serious tone: "The Heavenly Court has never explicitly issued an order for Qiu Mingzi to compete for the position of Grand Tutor of the Great Qin."

There wasn't even a hint.

At most, the gods of Heaven expressed their dissatisfaction, either publicly or privately, with Yu Fengxian's disrespect for riding the dragon and defying the heavens.

Akiko was simply guessing what her superiors wanted.

The Jade Emperor glared at Taibai and muttered, "That fool misunderstood." —If you're going to explain, then explain. Why use the phrase "the Emperor's will"?
The Queen Mother glanced at him and said solemnly, "Heavenly rules and laws do not only bind immortals. The Great Heavenly Venerable and I are also governed by heavenly laws. Now it seems that this is very necessary. Your Majesty, what do you say?"

Knowing he could no longer hide his thoughts, the Jade Emperor simply stated them aloud: "The power of the Human Emperor must be limited, and the imperial dynasty's power to offer sacrifices to Heaven should also be restricted."

The gods in Heaven are also subject to even stricter celestial laws.

Heaven, gods, and humans must be in balance.

If the rights of mortals are reduced, the balance of power among humanity, divinity, and immortality will be severely disrupted.

When humanity is excessively suppressed by the divine and immortal paths, and the development of humanity is hindered, it will inevitably trigger a new great calamity for heaven and earth.

It could even trigger the legendary 'catastrophe of the end times'.

"The end of the Dharma? This... isn't this the Demon Ancestor's curse on the world?" The gods and immortals were shocked.

The Jade Emperor slowly said, "What kind of curse is this? Anyone with a brain could easily deduce it."

In this era where humans are the main characters, humanity must continue to develop.

Whoever obstructs the development of humanity will be destroyed by Heaven.

Just like the great calamity that occurred at the end of the Qin Dynasty.

Throughout history, any human king or emperor who held the power of the human king could refine the "Longevity Pill," granting them the ability to live for ten thousand years.

In their early years, they were wise and powerful, and the power of the king made the dynasty prosperous and strong, which was conducive to the development of humanity; but in their later years, they became senile and abused the power of the king, plunging the world into catastrophe and damaging humanity.

During the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the emperor's power reached its zenith, and so did the potential harm caused by it.

Humanitarian development has reached a dead end.

Thus, the resentment, death, and murderous intent of the people transformed into calamity, and the great calamity at the end of the Qin Dynasty was born.

If the emperor's power is reduced and the dynasty's authority to communicate directly with heaven and earth is restricted, the power of the human world will surely decline greatly.

If the paths of gods and immortals are not restricted at this time, the result will be that many years later, the paths of gods and immortals will completely suppress the path of humanity.

Humanity cannot develop, calamity accumulates, and a great calamity occurs.

The great calamity will surely destroy all factors that hinder the development of humanity, namely the divine and immortal paths, so that the gods and immortals will no longer be able to interfere with the human world.

Isn't this the catastrophe of the end times?

When humanity is determined to no longer need the ways of gods or immortals, it can continue to develop, and even develop better.

"Now that all these gods and Buddhas fill the sky, is there still any need for them to exist?"

The great gods and immortals were stunned and remained silent for a long time.

The Queen Mother continued, "I understand that mortals cultivate immortality in order to achieve longevity and freedom."

They all ascended to the Heavenly Court and became immortals, and none of them wanted to be governed by the even stricter Heavenly Laws.

However, the new Heavenly Laws are merely intended to strengthen the punishment for cause and effect and karma.

If one is naturally pure and inactive, free and unrestrained, untainted by worldly affairs, and free from karmic entanglements, the new laws of heaven will have almost no impact on one's life.

Or rather, only positive effects.

For example, after Yu Fengxian publicly tried the Qin Celestial Master for breaking his oath, countless mortals will question the virtue of immortals now and in the future.

Most of the gods are innocent.

Originally, he had the world in his heart and only had great merits and no sins, but his reputation was damaged and his incense offerings greatly decreased.

The new celestial laws not only do not interfere with the daily lives of these immortals, but also purify the celestial realm, allowing true morally upright individuals to live more freely and unrestrained.

Emperor Donghua frowned deeply.

The Queen Mother and the Jade Emperor spoke in a grand and reasonable manner, and he agreed with their reasoning.

But he understood even more clearly that revising the Heavenly Laws would fundamentally change the power structure of the Heavenly Court.

The power of earthly dynasties has diminished, and the gods in the celestial realm have been restricted.

So where did all that power that was cut go?

Authority can only be transferred; it cannot be added to or disappear out of thin air.

Without a doubt, whoever controlled the Heavenly Court's judicial power at that time would gain supreme authority.

As the nominal rulers of the Three Realms, the Heavenly Emperor and the Queen Mother naturally hold the power to enforce the Heavenly Laws and Rules.

This is why, even though the Queen Mother spoke many profound truths, no deities agreed with her.

A fool can't become a god, and great gods and immortals are all shrewd and clever.

The Emperor glanced at the Antarctic Immortal out of the corner of his eye.

The representative of Yuanshi Tianzun remained indifferent, as if it were none of his business.

"Queen Mother, what exactly do the new Heavenly Laws and Rules include?"

They even brought up the "catastrophe of the end times," so even if they doubted the motives of the Heavenly Emperor and the Queen Mother, they couldn't directly oppose them.

The Queen Mother said, "Today, let's first determine the general direction. As for the specific regulations, we will convene a grand assembly of all immortals to discuss them together."

She glanced around with her phoenix eyes and continued, "First, promulgate laws to strengthen the Heavenly Court's direct control over the gods."

In the past, if a deity broke his oath, lost his virtue, or even harmed innocent living beings, as long as the matter did not escalate, the Heavenly Court would generally not send heavenly soldiers and generals to arrest him and bring him to the Heavenly Court for direct punishment.

Because cause and effect and karma will not disappear, the Great Dao of Cause and Effect will judge all sins.

Once the divine calamity has accumulated, the three calamities and five tribulations will naturally deal with him.

However, the three calamities and five tribulations, or even the calamity of slaughter, will not come immediately.

It will take a long time for the Great Dao of Cause and Effect to fully take effect.

During this time, the immortals, with their extensive connections, can find opportunities for redemption.

"Isn't it right to leave a way out for oneself, allowing for self-redemption? Cause and effect and karma will eventually cancel each other out."

"We can't just sentence someone to death immediately without giving them any chance after they make a mistake, can we?" said the Ziwei Emperor.

The Queen Mother said calmly, "You know what, I did indeed have the thought of committing a grave mistake and immediately sending them to the execution platform."

Under the Heavenly Dao, there are three thousand Great Daos, and the Dao of Cause and Effect is ultimately only one of them.

Following cause and effect does not necessarily mean conforming to the Way of Heaven.

She stretched out her slender, white hand and pointed to the image of the Zhangtai Palace case being resolved projected onto the Mirror of Heaven, saying, "Go and ask Yu Fengxian, ask the subjects of the Great Qin."

Should we simply let those immortals who broke their oaths be left alone, waiting for them to use the dynasty's fortune to cleanse their sins, or fail to survive the three calamities and five tribulations and be struck dead by heavenly lightning, so that they will be satisfied?
Or do you think that Yu Fengxian doesn't understand cause and effect, and doesn't know that a Qi cultivator who breaks an oath will eventually pay the price?
She knew, but she wasn't willing to sit and wait.

She wanted to see those who broke their oaths punished immediately, hence this public trial.

This isn't just her opinion; everyone thinks this way.

Therefore, even though mortals know about the existence of retribution in the underworld, strict laws are still in place.

Sins committed in this life must be repaid immediately.

The principle of cause and effect should only be used to provide a safety net for all kinds of cases. Only when the authorities cannot close a case in this life, and the guilty go unpunished, or even live a life of ease, can the karmic retribution of good and evil punish them.

Although we are gods, we should learn from the human legal system.

If Qiu Mingzi and the others had openly broken their oath to Heaven and directly violated the Heavenly Laws, they would have been immediately arrested and brought to justice by the Heavenly Court's judicial gods, and none of this mess would have happened.
With divine law hanging over their heads, they dared not break their oath from the very beginning.

(End of this chapter)