Chapter 1298: 579: Zheng Fa's Return and Institutional Innovation (Part 2)
Capítulo 1298: Chapter 579: Zheng Fa’s Return and Institutional Innovation (Part 2)
Elder Yuan was stunned for a moment, and his face suddenly showed sympathy.
…
But Zheng Fa and Zhang indeed didn’t have much time to enjoy the warmth of their long-awaited reunion.
“This is the most dangerous moment for the Immortal Court.”
At the Supreme Elder Council, Elder Yuan and others still had smiles on their faces, but Zheng Fa’s words immediately left them stunned.
“Most dangerous?”
Master Pang looked at Zheng Fa, seemingly wanting to see if he was joking.
But Zheng Fa’s expression was very serious, as if he was truly worried.
Master Pang pondered for a moment before hesitantly guessing, “Are you talking about Lu Yao? Or the Emperor’s Earth Emperor Corpse?”
“Those are definitely issues to be cautious about.” Zheng Fa nodded affirmatively at Master Pang and continued, “But the biggest crisis for our Jiushan Sect today isn’t external but internal.”
“What?” Master Pang was shocked, “Is there a rebellion?”
The Supreme Elders exchanged confused glances, utterly clueless about why Zheng Fa said that.
Only Zhang remained calm, evidently having already communicated with Zheng Fa.
“It’s not a rebellion. The biggest issue is how we handle the newly annexed Northern Continent, particularly… the six Golden Immortals.”
Zheng Fa’s words made Master Pang’s face show some realization, yet he furrowed his brows, “Do they still have rebel hearts?”
Zheng Fa slightly shook his head, “A rebel heart isn’t necessarily the case; the issue is their integration into the Immortal Court system. The test they pose to our Immortal Court could far exceed that of war.”
Based on a bit of historical knowledge Zheng Fa learned from modern times, after a great expansion, it is, in fact, the most dangerous time for a power.
This is the so-called ‘easy to conquer the world, difficult to govern.’
Moreover, the Jiushan Immortal Court’s system is vastly different from the traditional Xuanwei. What opinions these Golden Immortals and their disciples might have, and whether they might bring turmoil to the Jiushan Sect, are uncertainties.
Hearing this, Master Pang and the others found themselves at a loss, with no immediate solution: “We don’t have experience in this matter.”
A Golden Immortal isn’t just an individual; behind them is an entire world, not to mention the faction of disciples.
Xie Qingxue frowned and said, “Isn’t it enough to implement the Immortal Court’s system throughout all worlds?”
“That’s one method.”
Xie Qingxue’s intention was simple: to bring all territories and Golden Immortal Worlds under the Immortal Court’s unified governance.
“But there are two issues.”
“What are they?”
“First, Golden Immortals are the creators of their respective Golden Immortal Worlds and are inseparable from their world. In those worlds, they can exert even more power. Without their cooperation, the Immortal Court would have a hard time functioning smoothly in the Golden Immortal Worlds.”
This statement made Xie Qingxue’s brow furrow. This was indeed the biggest problem.
If the Golden Immortals were dissatisfied with the Jiushan Immortal Court and secretly sabotaged, the Immortal Court would find it nearly impossible to defend against.
Of course, Jiushan Sect has countermeasures, but in the Golden Immortal Worlds, these Golden Immortals naturally hold an advantage, which means the governance cost for Jiushan Sect is exceptionally high.
“What’s the second issue?”
“The second issue concerns the future.”
“The future?”
“I am thinking, if we push the Golden Immortals too hard, how will we attract other Golden Immortals later on? Even if we don’t need Golden Immortals from other sects, will the Golden Immortals cultivated by Jiushan Sect itself be dissatisfied in the future?”
Master Pang and several others were visibly startled.
“Cultivating immortality is, ultimately, about cultivation for freedom.” Zheng Fa shook his head, smiled a little, and said, “To be honest, I’m still dreaming of retirement and living freely.”
“We don’t have Golden Immortals here, but if someone advanced to a Golden Immortal, who knows if they would develop different ideas?”
The Supreme Elders also fell silent. At their level of cultivation, none believed that people remained unchanging.
They couldn’t expect every Golden Immortal to be like the Nine Nether Emperor, willing to give everything for a principle.
Cultivators inherently possess great power in themselves. Although the current system of the Immortal Court is fair, it significantly limits the freedom of cultivators.
This evidently goes against the nature of cultivators. For now, it is fine, but in the future, it could easily become a hidden concern.
“What are your thoughts?”
“I plan to allow each Golden Immortal to retain autonomy over their world.” Zheng Fa paused and said, “Aside from military and diplomatic matters, the Immortal Court will not interfere in the internal affairs of the Golden Immortal Worlds.”
“Isn’t this too lenient?”
Master Pang furrowed his brow.
“I have several considerations.” Zheng Fa explained in detail, “Firstly, this reduces the Immortal Court’s administrative pressure significantly, and those Golden Immortals find it easier to accept.”
Master Pang and the others nodded in agreement, understanding the clarity of Zheng Fa’s previous explanation.
“Secondly, in my view, when the Immortal Court nurtures cultivators to the Golden Immortal Rank, it is actually their stage to explore the Chaos.”
“Explore?”
“The Golden Immortal Worlds were opened by these Golden Immortals, and they should be considered their labor achievements. We have little ground to seize them. If we forcibly take them, it might hurt the disciples’ motivation in the future.”
Frankly, in Zheng Fa’s opinion, the Xuanwei Realm is one thing, but the Golden Immortal Worlds are somewhat like cultivators’ frontier pioneering, akin to the frontier knights in Western novels. Even based on a labor-based distribution system, he doesn’t see these worlds as inherently belonging to the Immortal Court.
“Thirdly, the more Golden Immortal Worlds, the more population, and resources.” Zheng Fa paused and continued, “We can harness these resources through commerce, even the Heaven and Earth Bank, without causing disruption for mere nominal rule.”
Thinking about the achievements of Nine Mountain Department Store in the Northern Continent, smiles appeared on Master Pang and the others’ faces.
“In my view, the entire Immortal Court, including all Golden Immortal Worlds, should have external military and diplomacy controlled by us. Internally, personnel and goods should flow freely, with a unified currency. Over time, the Golden Immortal Worlds and the Immortal Court will naturally integrate.”
“But beyond that, I won’t impose any other restrictions on those Golden Immortals.”
Upon hearing Zheng Fa’s words, everyone understood that he had already thought it through and began to ponder deeply.
“But if an unfavorable force emerges in those Golden Immortal Worlds against the Immortal Court…”
Elder Yuan furrowed his brow and spoke.
“Don’t forget the All Heaven Stars Formation. Even though it has some limitations now, it serves well for the governance of the Immortal Court over all realms. It can monitor the heavens and suppress unrest, so we need to find a way to utilize it.”
Elder Yuan nodded slightly, listening further to what Zheng Fa said:
“On the other hand, if the Immortal Court, with such an advantage, gets overthrown by these Golden Immortal Worlds… that would indicate a problem within the Immortal Court itself.”
Master Pang was momentarily stunned, looking at Zheng Fa in surprise, seemingly understanding his intention: “You want to… conduct an experiment?”
Zheng Fa laughed and replied, “You could say it’s an experiment.”
“The system of the Jiushan Immortal Court originates from me, from our previous practice, but who can say it’s the best? Who can say we’re absolutely right?”
“Those Golden Immortal Worlds, consider them experimental fields or special zones, let those Golden Immortals try for themselves. If there’s any merit, we can adopt it for the entire Immortal Court.”
“As I’ve said, if ultimately, the Immortal Court gets toppled by these Golden Immortal Worlds, that simply means our system has fundamental issues, even beyond reform, and has been abandoned by the living beings of the Immortal Court. It naturally deserves to perish.”
The Supreme Elder Council fell silent, merely watching Zheng Fa, their minds simultaneously echoing Zheng Fa’s declaration at the Daluo Dharma Meeting—’the future will triumph over the present.’
…
In the Ziwei Yuan Heavenly Palace, the six members of Qingnv sat below, watching Zheng Fa and Zhang Wuyi, knowing that this meeting would determine their future fate.
Qingnv exchanged a glance with her companion, feeling reassured—on one hand, they still trusted Zheng Fa, and on the other, they had allies in the Jiushan Sect!
Besides, their lives were saved by Zheng Fa, so they had long decided to follow the Jiushan Sect’s lead.
However, Gu Hong Taoist and the other four were anxious.
They had surrendered to the Jiushan Sect under pressure, and who knew how the Jiushan Sect viewed them? Would they be stripped of everything?
Especially the Peacock Emperor, who felt particularly apprehensive at this moment.
Zheng Fa glanced at the six, smiled, and waved his hand lightly. Six documents on the table flew into the hands of the six Golden Immortals without a breeze.
Gu Hong Taoist carefully received the document and saw a line of words on the cover:
“Golden Immortal World Autonomy Treaty”