God Realm

The area surrounding Lingyu Cave.

At this time, small-scale riots had already occurred in many cities, causing some damage.

However, since these riots and destruction did not cause any fatal consequences, and since the riots were caused by a large group rather than individuals, even if fires and property damage were to occur, the Karma would be minimal if the damage was shared among many people.

Let alone reaching the power of being as black as ink to attract the Eye of Thunder Punishment, even being as Bright Red as blood would be difficult to achieve.

The only result of this unrest is the disunity of the people.

When people from Gu Jinlai arrived at the city under the jurisdiction of the Immortal Lord Lingyu, the city was already under martial law.

It felt like we were in a state of war.

Upon seeing Gu Jinlai, she greeted him immediately, her expression filled with guilt. "Palace Master Gu, although we have temporarily brought the situation under control, this is clearly not a long-term solution."

"I heard you've uncovered some problems, and that it's related to a force called the 'Free Church'? Why haven't you dealt with these culprits?"

This Gu Jinlai.

"Although these things bear the shadow of the 'Free Church' in many places, but..."

Immortal Master Lingyu waved his hand.

Soon, her disciple stepped forward and handed over several Jade Slip.

Lingyu Immortal Master handed the Jade Slip to Gu Jinlai. After sensing it for a moment, Gu Jinlai quickly understood why Lingyu Immortal Master had not eradicated the Free Church.

Because what the Free Church did did not involve crime.

They recruited people into their association not through torture or forced confessions.

However, those who are unwilling to join the Free Church are constantly harassed by people coming to their door.

It doesn't even qualify as harassment; rather, it's the daily advice and guidance from a large number of relatives, friends, and neighbors around this person's circle.

If persuasion fails, they resort to pointing fingers and even making sarcastic remarks behind the scenes.

They wouldn't even directly provoke or anger the other party.

One or two people may not be able to sway someone's will, but three or four, ten or eight, or even when everyone in your social circle is pointing fingers at you, even if you are indifferent, you will still be affected.

If he suffers a mental breakdown and loses control, and chooses to take action...

When it comes to incidents involving the public, even if he is in the right, he will be seen as unreasonable.

In addition, the Lingxiao Palace's rules require a fair trial. In the end, this person may get rid of the harassment, but being imprisoned, sentenced, and left with a criminal record will have a lifelong impact.

If this happens a few more times, and the Free Church secretly controls some media propaganda, it will naturally instill fear in those who do not want to become members.

Ultimately, whether he likes it or not, he will still choose to join the Free Church.

After reviewing these Jade Slip, Gu Jinlai have realized the thorny nature of the matter.

"The biggest problem now, besides the sheer size of these freedom-seeking groups, is that many people are hesitant to act. They hold positions but dare not assert their authority. They are afraid to do nothing, or they will make more mistakes. This is especially true for high-level cultivators. They have a deep fear of the Eye of Thunder Punishment, and they also harbor some resentment. Why should we, who have worked so hard and spent so much energy to cultivate to this level, live like ordinary people without any privileges? Over time, they feel a sense of laissez-faire."

Immortal Master Lingyu sighed, "High-level cultivators often hold important positions in many departments. When they start to outwardly comply but inwardly defy orders, the situation will deteriorate further..."

"Then just replace them. If they don't want to do it, there are plenty of other people who can."

This Gu Jinlai.

"The problem is that those high-level cultivators who let things take their course don't show this kind of thinking. In fact, many of them use the method of shifting blame. If their subordinates do the work, the credit is theirs, but if they make a mistake, the responsibility is attributed to their subordinates. As a result, most high-level cultivators seem to have such brilliant resumes."

Lingyu Immortal Master shook his head. "But their approach will greatly discourage the clerks below. When those clerks work hard to make contributions but have them taken away by their superiors, and instead face punishment for their work, what motivation do they have left? Especially lower-level officials are more influenced by public opinion, so they simply start to follow the crowd. In the end, the entire city is filled with stupid and lazy governance."

She glanced at Gu Jinlai and said, "These stupid and lazy policies have exacerbated the discontent among the people. The anti-intellectual actions of some City Lord Mansion have made the people want to break free from the control of these ignorant people and pursue freedom, which has led to the rapid expansion of the Free Church's power and eventually formed a sweeping trend."

Those who have heard this Gu Jinlai understand it in their hearts.

The biggest reason for this situation is the lack of oversight.

In the realm of immortality, Lingxiao Palace holds absolute power.

Back then, Gu Jinlai had wondered if corruption might breed within the Lingxiao Palace once the entire world was under its control.

So he left behind the fairy kingdom.

This will allow the power of the Immortal Kingdom to exert a restraining influence on the Lingxiao Palace.

However, as his strength and influence have grown over the years, the people of the Immortal Kingdom have gradually realized who will be the ruler of the Immortal Realm in the future.

Especially the existence of the Eye of Lightning Punishment...

As the master of Lingxiao Palace, Gu Jinlai wielded the power of judgment and repeatedly purged the Changsheng Realm. Even some disciples of the immortal masters could not escape judgment once they committed acts that angered the heavens and the people. This made the people of the immortal kingdom even more aware of the terrifying power of Lingxiao Palace.

Even today, if an ordinary citizen simply declares that they are acting in accordance with the rules and regulations of Lingxiao Palace, even Celestial Person and saints must obediently bow their heads.

No matter what kind of genius, unparalleled figure, or immortal being you are, you are all forcefully suppressed in the face of the rules of Lingxiao Palace.

When capable people are not treated as they deserve, while ordinary people who use the rules of Lingxiao Palace as an excuse to act recklessly, it is easy to imagine how quickly the situation will deteriorate.

"Do you have a solution?"

This Gu Jinlai.

Lingyu Immortal Master glanced at Gu Jinlai.

The problem lies with people throughout Gu Jinlai...

To be precise, it refers to the "fair and just" judgment of the Eye of Thunder on anyone whose Karma is as black as ink.

So...

The only solution Gu Jinlai.

But Lingyu Immortal Master dared not say these words.

Because this is equivalent to letting a country's royal family or emperor overthrow themselves.

She didn't know how much interest was involved, but the reason why the royal family was so noble and the emperor was so supreme was because of centralized power.

Once power is subject to oversight and regulation, what is the point of calling it supreme or unparalleled?

If a citizen sues an official, and the official has committed further wrongdoing, will he sentence himself to death?

He would simply kill it first, as if it had never happened.

They even established a rule that forbids reporting to officials, with the penalty of death for anyone who does so, as a warning to others.

Of course, these rules must be unspoken rules; on the surface, one must still maintain a legitimate and upright image.

Just like the cities under the jurisdiction of Immortal Master Lingyu, many high-level cultivators are clearly incompetent and hold their positions without doing any work, but when investigated by higher authorities, they are definitely good officials who are diligent and speak up for the people.

After thinking it over, the Immortal Lord Lingyu finally replied, "This is a problem that human society has faced since ancient times, and there is no solution."

The spirit of Gu Jinlai has enveloped this city.

Despite the city being locked down, crime continues to fester in countless places.

At this moment, he even doubted whether it was right or wrong for him to periodically unleash the Eye of Thunder to sweep through the Realm of Immortality and the Realm of Mysterious Immortals.

But in just a moment, his eyes hardened.

Although the appearance of the Eye of Thunder Punishment caused many high-level cultivators to become inactive, it still has one merit that no one can deny.

That is, ever since the Eye of Thunder Punishment came into existence, no one has dared to indiscriminately kill innocent people or act recklessly. Even if they do evil, they can only do so secretly and dare not cause too much impact.

Perhaps the human heart can never be satisfied.

But...

Compared to twenty years ago, the beings in the Immortal Realm are now much better off in terms of their safety.

If he truly chooses to remove the Eye of Thunder and revert to the fairness and justice of the rules, the almost feudal-era rule of twenty years ago will surely once again engulf every corner of the Immortal Realm.

"It's just that the human heart is never satisfied."

Gu Jinlai, the mind has been focused on a seemingly normal stronghold of the Free Church.

"Furthermore, things are not that simple. No matter how fast people's hearts are corrupted, it is not possible to change them in just a few years. This time scale is at least several decades... But in just a few years, the Free School has grown to such a large scale. Not only the Lingyu Cave Heaven City Cluster, but other Cave Heaven City Clusters are the same, only on a smaller scale than here."

"You mean... the Free Church has someone backing it?"

Immortal Master Lingyu was slightly taken aback.

"Have."

Gu Jinlai exclaimed, "It's too fast. Given that communication between people isn't very smooth, this scene is happening so fast it doesn't seem like a natural evolution."

His gaze shifted and quickly landed on a bishop of the Free Church.

This bishop's cultivation level is not high, only at the Celestial Person Realm, and he carries heavy Karma...

It seems to have been somewhat controlled, not even reaching the level of Bright Red like blood.

Because he often commands others to do evil, the negative Karma generated by this indirect influence is much lower than if he did it himself.

In addition, he pays great attention to managing his image and does good deeds in his daily life. Even if these good deeds are not sincere, they are quite effective in purging Karma.

The Void Projection Technique was Gu Jinlai applied to the bishop, searching his memories.

However, when he examined the memories of this Celestial Person, it seemed to trigger a backlash in his mind; the Celestial Person actually took the initiative to oppose his True Spirit.

Although the bishop's soul was crushed by the True Spirit of Gu Jinlai in just a moment, this abnormality still made Gu Jinlai realize something.

He carefully sensed it for a moment, and the next moment, his mental power, which had reached the fifth stage of the Great Dao Golden Immortal, swept out like a torrent following a ripple.

The moment he broke through the ripples, he vaguely felt as if he had entered a world that resembled a real spirit world.

Almost the instant he rushed into this world, a mental force many times stronger than his own pressed down upon him.

This mental force felt like a heavy burden. Despite the unknown distance between them, it struck his mind like a towering mountain, causing him to groan as his mental force was quickly shattered.

"The Ancient Palace Master!?"

Immortal Master Lingyu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

There was no response from Gu Jinlai, but the pain of having his mental strength shattered did not affect the shock in his heart.

His eyes flickered with surprise.

"No! That's not the real spirit world!"

He was absolutely certain that it was not the real spirit world.

It is not the real spirit world, yet it possesses the characteristics of the real spirit world.

That is...

"Divine Kingdom!"

The kingdom of the gods!