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

Chapter 1210 The Heavenly Court Also Needs to Reform and Strengthen
The celestial beings, including Emperor Donghua and Emperor Ziwei, felt heavy-hearted, distressed, and repressed.

They couldn't refute the Queen Mother's words at all.

But they were very rational and clear-headed, knowing just how terrifying the "direct judicial power" planned by the Queen Mother was.

Under the rule of Emperor Ying, the lives of ordinary people in the Qin Dynasty were very likely to be their future.

"How extensive is the scope of the new Heavenly Laws? Does it only apply to gods and immortals who hold divine office in the Heavenly Court, or to beings who possess Heavenly Status?" Emperor Donghua asked.

If it's only targeting the gods in Heaven, he might as well abandon his heavenly duties and return to Fangzhang Immortal Mountain to live a carefree life.

The Queen Mother hesitated for a moment before speaking frankly: "I wish for all immortals in the Three Realms to abide by the Heavenly Laws."

Emperor Ziwei exclaimed in surprise, "Even Qi cultivators without Heavenly Register or even Immortal Register must abide by the Heavenly Laws? Yet they enjoy no rights from the Heavenly Court. By what right does the Heavenly Court govern them?"

The Queen Mother solemnly said, "The Heavenly Emperor is the lord of all heavens, and he can govern all living beings within those heavens."

"Your Majesty, is this truly your thought, and do you intend to do it?"

With a serious expression and sharp eyes, Donghua Dijun stared at the Jade Emperor and questioned him.

He was quite different from the other emperors.

For example, the Ziwei Emperor is the master of all stars, assisting the Jade Emperor in managing the sun, moon, and stars, but his authority is limited to the realm of gods.

Besides holding the divine position of "Head of All Gods and Immortals" (similar to "class monitor") in the Heavenly Court, Donghua Dijun is also the leader of the wandering immortals (mainly male immortals) overseas.

The Jade Emperor harbored some resentment towards his "wife": You have to take things one step at a time. You can't reveal all your thoughts on the very first day!

Then, he began to have some doubts, wondering if the wise Queen Mother was deliberately making him reveal all his thoughts in advance.

The Jade Emperor said, "The Heavenly Court uses Heavenly Laws and Regulations to restrain the wandering immortals and Qi cultivators of the Three Realms in order to make the Three Realms more harmonious and peaceful."

The wandering immortals overseas and the Qi cultivators in the mountains may never have come to the Heavenly Court in their entire lives, nor have they received any direct benefits from it.

But they were born between heaven and earth, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon and the spirit of heaven and earth. Shouldn't they pay some price, even if it's not a price, for the harmony and peace of the three realms?

As long as they don't make mistakes, the laws and regulations of Heaven won't affect their carefree lives.

The Eastern Emperor asked, "The Heavenly Emperor and the Queen Mother intend to emulate the human world and promote Legalism in the Heavenly Court."

Since you intend to implement reforms, have Your Majesties invited any Legalist sages to serve as 'guest advisors'?
Reforms in a dynasty are not something a monarch comes up with on a whim.

Even if a ruler has the intention to reform, it requires the guidance and implementation of great Legalist sages.

The Queen Mother said, "We are currently discussing the general direction of the reforms, but the specific content of the Heavenly Rules and Regulations cannot be determined yet."

Emperor Donghua said in a deep voice, "But you've even got the big picture wrong. The Heavenly Court simply doesn't have the ability to directly govern all cultivators in the Three Realms."

You think Yu Fengxian is powerful? I can easily find a hundred, a thousand ancient monsters deep in the mountains and seas, monsters that could beat Yu Fengxian to death, storm the Heavenly Court, and smash the Lingxiao Palace.

The Jade Emperor said unhappily, "We are discussing the new Heavenly Laws. Let's not bring up Yu Fengxian in everything. Nobody really thinks she's powerful."

—I don’t want to mention her either, but aren’t we watching Yu Fengxian publicly try the treacherous immortal right now?
Moreover, the Queen Mother just used Yu Fengxian as an example several times, why didn't you mention her?
While Donghua Dijun was still pondering to himself, he heard the Jade Emperor continue, "The new Heavenly Laws will only apply to the immortals that can be governed for the time being."

What cannot be controlled, let nature take its course and govern by non-interference.

Just now, the Queen Mother said that among the three thousand Great Daos, the Great Dao of Cause and Effect is only one of them.

Following a great principle is not the same as following the "Way of Heaven".

Even if the new Heavenly Laws were sealed into the heart of Heaven by the Primordial Celestial Venerable and became a new Great Dao, it would still only be one of the Three Thousand Great Daos.

Besides the Heavenly Laws and the Law of Cause and Effect, there are also the Path of Benevolence, the Path of Sentient Beings, and the Path of Merit. These are also the great rules that govern the behavior and thoughts of all living beings.

If there were no heavenly laws in the celestial court, there would be no cause and effect or retribution in the world.

The path of merit uses heavenly merit and unseen virtue as bait to encourage immortals to do good deeds and accumulate virtue, which can also uphold morality in the world.

However, the path of merit alone is not perfect, hence the various supplements.

The new Heavenly Law is the same; it's merely a patch, filling in loopholes that other major laws can't reach, rather than a perfectly covering 'complete heavenly garment'.

Emperor Donghua said, "The reason why the law is so majestic is that once it is promulgated, no one can be an exception in front of it."

When Shang Yang implemented the reforms in the Qin Dynasty, even the crown prince who violated the new laws was resolutely punished.

For this, Grand Tutor Ying Qian was subjected to nose amputation.

The purpose of Your Majesty's new Heavenly Laws is to intimidate the gods with strict heavenly laws, so that they dare not break the law.

Given the numerous exceptions, are they truly in awe of the Heavenly Law, or are they afraid of His Majesty?
When they are punished by the Heavenly Laws, do they genuinely reflect on their own actions, or do they harbor resentment towards His Majesty for bullying the weak and fearing the strong?

If all the gods in Heaven saw powerful demon immortals living freely, unbound by heavenly laws, and living worse lives than demons even after becoming gods, would they yearn for Heaven, or would they simply become outlaws, join the demon horde, and form a powerful evil alliance that even Heaven dared not punish?

The Jade Emperor was furious, and his tone turned cold and hard as he said, "The old monster who has lived since the Primordial Era will not cause trouble."

If they disrupt the order of the Three Realms, even without new Heavenly Laws, the Dao Ancestor and the Great Luo Golden Immortals of the Mysterious Sect will not let them off the hook.

If someone cannot abide by the rules and regulations, they will willingly fall into the evil path.

Even if the Heavenly Court recruits him with lenient Heavenly Rules, he will only be a second 'Qiu Mingzi'.

Can such an immortal prosper the Xuan Sect and protect all living beings under heaven?

With the promulgation of the new Heavenly Laws, even if the Heavenly Court is initially unable to control all the immortals in the Three Realms, it will at least do its best to control more immortals.

We've done our best, and as long as we're true to ourselves and to the heavens, that's enough.

Emperor Donghua fell silent.

He understood that the Jade Emperor was just making empty promises, but his words were indeed difficult to refute.

The Queen Mother could see that her "elder brother" was unconvinced, and slowly said, "The Three Realms are vast, while the Divine Continent is very small. The Heavenly Court can at least govern the Divine Continent and ensure that all the gods in the Divine Continent abide by the Heavenly Laws. When the Divine Continent is stable, the world is stable."

That's the truth.

Seeing that no one objected, she continued, "Now that we've determined the scope of the Heavenly Laws, let's talk about the scope of their punishments."

There is a system of collective punishment in human society; if one family commits a crime, all the neighbors will be held accountable.

This is too harsh and unreasonable.

But if it were placed in the celestial realm, it would seem quite nice.

All the gods and immortals in the heavenly court have masters and sects.

Without a master bestowing upon one the destiny to become an immortal, one cannot become a deity. Without becoming a deity, one naturally has no opportunity to commit heinous crimes and wreak havoc on the world.

I believe that the principle of collective punishment among immortal masters and disciples, and among sects, is more reasonable than the principle of collective punishment among mortals. What do you, my fellow immortals, think?

The gods looked at her as if she were a monster.

"Queen Mother, even Yu Fengxian is now implementing a ten-year benevolent policy, and many cruel punishments, including the collective punishment system, have been abolished."

—You, the Queen Mother, are even more ruthless than Yu Fengxian?!

The Queen Mother said, “I also said that the principle of collective punishment in the human world is unreasonable. Gods and mortals are different!”

There is no strong causal relationship between ordinary people and their neighbors.

What does it have to do with me if my neighbor breaks the law?
The bond between immortals and their disciples is deeply intertwined; without a master to impart knowledge, the disciple would have no chance to break the heavenly rules.

Ma Gu Niang swallowed hard and asked, "Zhong Yuanzi is my disciple. According to the new Heavenly Laws, what crime have I committed?"

The Queen Mother said, "You must at least go to the Execution Platform and be cut once, and then be reincarnated and start over."

Since you were not directly involved in the case, but only failed in your religious duties, we can reserve your divine position for you until you return from your tribulation.

"This is too harsh." Ma Gu's face turned pale.

The Queen Mother, with a stern face, rebuked, "How is this harsh? The things Zhong Yuanzi and the others have done are enough to destroy the faith of all living beings in the gods and in the Heavenly Court."

The amount of incense offerings and prayers alone has decreased by 40%.

That's one point. Secondly, all living beings need faith.

When they no longer believe in the sacred and majestic gods, they will only turn to the Buddha or be bewitched by wild and evil gods!

With such severe consequences, do you, as their masters, still want to live?

A great deity turned his head to look at Guanyin Bodhisattva.

The Great Master lowered his eyes, his expression indifferent. "If Yu Fengxian hadn't made such a big fuss and held a public trial, the case wouldn't have had such a huge impact," a great deity said.

The Queen Mother said, "You mean you blame Yu Fengxian? She is now the Grand Tutor of the human court. Isn't it only natural for her to handle the case of defection from her own court?"
To be honest, I was also very annoyed by the public trial she orchestrated.

But we are gods, not demons. We can't make mistakes and then blame others for being too harsh.

Today, Yu Fengxian set a precedent.

If any deity commits a crime in the future, the human court will seize the opportunity to use it against them.

If things escalate too much and have too bad an impact, the Heavenly Court will also follow the 'old precedent'—determining punishment based on the severity of the crime and the extent of its impact.

If a deity commits a trivial offense, it can cause a public uproar, just like today.

He should also be sentenced according to the most serious crime. Not only will he be condemned to eternal damnation and annihilation, but his teachers and mentors will also be punished.

If his sect is implicated, they will be punished equally, and may even be wiped out and their sect abolished.

The gods were shocked once again; the Queen Mother was too ruthless.

"Queen Mother, are you going to sever the connection between heaven and earth again? If the entanglement between immortals and mortals is so great, I'm afraid the immortals will never dare to appear before the sages again."

The Queen Mother said, "My original intention was not to sever the connection between heaven and earth. Without someone showing divine intervention before us, how can mortals sincerely believe in the gods?"

However, if deities become deeply involved in human affairs, accidents can occur, such as today.

The cost was too high.

Alas, the paths of immortals and mortals are separate; gods and mortals should never be mixed together.

The Heavenly Court will not forbid deities from interfering in mortal affairs; however, you will have to bear the consequences yourselves.

The issuance of these divine decrees now is merely a warning of the consequences; do not say you were not warned.

The one who severs the connection between heaven and earth is never a god or immortal, but a human.

The first emperor to sever the connection between heaven and earth was Emperor Zhuanxu.

Emperor Zhuanxu severed the connection between heaven and earth, cutting off the direct interference of the gods in human tribes, thus enabling humanity to truly embark on the path of independent development.

Emperor Ziwei murmured, "Once the new Heavenly Laws are promulgated, I'm afraid even the gods won't dare to descend to the mortal realm."

The Queen Mother did not intend to sever the connection between heaven and earth, but she effectively severed the link between the celestial realm and the mortal world.

The Queen Mother said calmly, "As long as mortals do not sever the connection between heaven and earth, a few mere heavenly rules will never cut off the exchanges between immortals and mortals."

Even the Jade Emperor and I must undergo tribulations.

Among the immortals of the Three Realms who have not yet attained the Great Luo status, who can escape the tribulations of heaven and man?
Even immortals must overcome three calamities and five tribulations.

If one does not go to the mortal realm to relieve the suffering of the common people, how can one earn divine merit to avert calamity?

Those who cannot overcome the tribulation will die and their cultivation will dissipate.

Even the strictest heavenly rules only prohibit gods from messing around; they don't necessarily punish gods who interact with mortals.

It's likely that in the future, when Li Si organizes a banquet, even the immortals won't dare to attend.

However, when various disasters occur in the human world and gods are needed to resolve them, the gods still have to compete to do it and earn merit.

From now on, my purpose in going to the human world will be solely to save all living beings, relieve the suffering of the world, and accumulate merit.

It's not impossible to go back to being as carefree and unrestrained as before, but that would cause serious consequences and come with severe consequences.

Upon hearing this, the great gods and immortals in the hall suddenly realized something: the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother probably didn't just think of issuing the new Heavenly Laws and Rules today.

This couple probably hid under the covers and secretly discussed and planned for a long time.

Now that they have encountered the case of Yu Fengxian's public trial of the treacherous Taoist priest, they have finally decided to go with the flow.

Emperor Donghua said, "The karmic entanglements between master and disciple, and between sects, are too great, and the punishment for violating the Heavenly Laws is too severe."

The path to immortality for mortals will likely be even more arduous and difficult in the future.

The gods are becoming increasingly reluctant to grant immortality to those with a predestined fate.

If fewer people cultivate Taoism, how can my Xuanjiao prosper?
With fewer immortals, the number of immortals who transition from the path of immortality to the path of deity will also decrease.

At that time, the development of the immortal path and the divine path will inevitably slow down, or even decline.

The Queen Mother immediately said, "As early as two hundred thousand years ago, the Heavenly Court's divine positions were already fully staffed."

Every year now, hundreds of immortals ascend to heaven.

They ascended to the Heavenly Court, but the Heavenly Court could not provide enough celestial and divine positions.

Some immortals, after ascending to the Heavenly Court, waited for tens of thousands of years, still queuing up for a powerful heavenly position.

For example, my 'Curtain-Rolling General'.

Why does rolling up the curtain require a 'general'?
Unfortunately, there were too few divine positions for "Generals of the Heavenly Court" to go around.

The celestial beings who ascended to heaven were of noble status and could not be dealt with using ordinary divine positions. They could only be given a makeshift "miscellaneous general" title to settle them.

Nowadays, even a general with a miscellaneous title like "General Curtain Roller" has seven or eight lieutenants under his command.

Those deputy generals were all waiting to be transferred, or waiting for the original Curtain-Raising General to commit a crime and for the position to become vacant.

When the new Heavenly Laws are promulgated, the number of immortals ascending to the Heavenly Court will decrease, but this will only reduce the number of wandering immortals.

With enough celestial blessings, one will certainly not lack celestial connections.

Moreover, with the new heavenly rules in place, immortals will surely pay more attention to moral cultivation, be less involved in karmic consequences, and be less likely to commit acts of killing.

The number of deities will likely not decrease, but their quality will greatly improve.

The paths of immortals and gods flourished, and the Xuanjiao (mystical sect) also became increasingly prosperous.

By this time, Emperor Donghua was completely certain that the new Heavenly Rules were definitely not something the Queen Mother had decided on a whim.

She had already considered everything in her mind.

He still thought she was being too presumptuous.

Having good ideas doesn't mean you can do them well.

However, the new Heavenly Laws had not yet been promulgated, and without factual basis, he could not verbally refute her reasoning.

He finally looked at Guanyin Bodhisattva and asked, "Will the Buddha of Vulture Peak abide by the new Heavenly Rules?"

He knew he was talking nonsense.

The Antarctic Immortal made it clear at the beginning that the Dao Ancestor had decreed that the Heavenly Emperor should join forces with the Xuanmen Immortals and the Lingshan Buddhism to discuss a solution that everyone could accept.

Since Buddhism is allowed to participate in the discussion, it will certainly abide by the new heavenly rules.

However, from the beginning until now, Guanyin Bodhisattva has not said a word or expressed any opinion.

It seems that Buddhism is happy to obey whatever the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother say.

This behavior made Emperor Donghua very uncomfortable.

The Heavenly Court is clearly the Heavenly Court of the Xuanmen (Taoist sect), but now it seems to be joining forces with Buddhism to suppress the carefree immortals of the Xuanmen.

Buddhism actually dared to cooperate!

Guanyin calmly said, "If Buddhist disciples enter the Divine Land, they will naturally abide by the rules of the Divine Land."

If the Heavenly Court allows Buddhist disciples to attain the 'divine fruit'.

Even if the Buddha entered the heavenly court, he would still be subject to the rules of heaven.

"What? Even the bald monk from Mount Ling wants to enter the Heavenly Court and become an immortal?" A Xuanmen deity exclaimed in shock and anger.

Guanyin Bodhisattva remained calm, showing no anger whatsoever at the "bald monk of Mount Ling".

“Mount Ling is also within the Three Realms, and Buddhist disciples are also cultivators who seek the Great Dao. If the Jade Emperor summons them, Buddhist disciples will gladly serve.” She said calmly.

All the gods and immortals turned their heads and stared intently at the Jade Emperor.

(End of this chapter)