Three days later, at the execution grounds in Xuzhou's southern outskirts.
Before dawn had broken, law enforcement guards had already surrounded the place so tightly that not a drop of water could have slipped through.
Three layers of protective formations overlapped, enveloping the entire execution grounds.
The innermost layer locked down souls, the middle layer guarded against external force, and the outermost blocked probing. Not even a spirit bird could fly inside.
On the raised platform stood the judicial bench, the prosecution bench, and the law enforcement bench, solemn and imposing.
Below the platform were representatives from various walks of life invited to observe: academy teachers and students, local officials, representatives of aristocratic clans, and diplomatic personnel stationed in Xuzhou from organizations such as the Freedom Divine Domain and the Holy See.
The formations for the Spirit Messaging livestream had long since been set up, their signals connected to all 108 cities of the Nine Provinces. Every city, academy, and civilian organization under the Immortal Palace's rule could watch this public trial simultaneously.
Chen Fan followed Jiang Qingyuan into the execution grounds.
Today, Jiang Qingyuan wore neither casual clothes nor law enforcement robes, but jet-black judicial robes embroidered with gold. Her long hair was tied high, her expression icy, and an inviolable majesty of law surrounded her.
Along the way, law enforcement guards and observing officials alike bowed in greeting, their expressions full of reverence.
"Presiding Judge Jiang."
"Chief Prosecutor Jiang."
"Heaven-Rank Envoy Jiang."
Different people called her by different titles, but all showed the same respect.
Following behind her, Chen Fan truly witnessed what it meant to hold high office and great power.
Only when they reached the lounge behind the platform did Jiang Qingyuan stop and look back at him. "It's about to begin. Nervous?"
"A little," Chen Fan admitted honestly. "It's my first time seeing something on this scale, after all."
"There's nothing to be nervous about." Jiang Qingyuan straightened her robes as she said evenly, "Remember, everyone is equal before the Immortal Palace's laws. Whatever their status or background, if they break the law, they must submit to its punishment."
She paused, a chill entering her voice. "Today isn't just about sentencing three small fry. It's also a reminder to those powers that the Immortal Palace's territory is no place for them to run wild."
Chen Fan nodded, understanding.
This public trial would sentence three foreign students, but its warning was aimed at the Freedom Divine Domain and the Holy See behind them, and at every restless power within the Nine Provinces.
Soon, the trial formally began.
Jiang Qingyuan walked to the judicial bench, seated herself in the center, and lightly struck her gavel.
Thud-
The crisp sound carried throughout the grounds, and the faintly noisy execution grounds instantly fell so silent that not a crow or sparrow could be heard.
At that same moment, the livestream began across the entire Immortal Palace.
Countless cultivators and mortals waited before their Spirit Messaging light screens to watch this public trial that had shaken the Nine Provinces.
"Bring the defendants before the court."
Jiang Qingyuan's voice was cool and clear, carried in every direction by the formations.
Soon, law enforcement guards escorted Leon and the other two up. Spirit-locking shackles bound their hands and feet, their faces were deathly pale, and their entire bodies trembled.
Their former arrogance and tyranny had vanished completely, leaving only the terror of approaching death.
At the prosecution bench, an official from the Prosecution Hall stepped forward and read the indictment aloud.
Offense after offense, incident after incident-the evidence was conclusive. Victim testimonies, physical evidence, and confessions were all laid out clearly and unmistakably.
The observers below seethed with righteous indignation, while the livestream filled with flying comments, every one calling for severe punishment.
Throughout the proceedings, Chen Fan stood at the law enforcement bench, his gaze fixed on Jiang Qingyuan at the judicial bench.
She sat upright on the platform, her expression solemn. Her questions were concise and forceful, legal provisions came readily to her lips, and every word struck the ground with weight.
There was no unnecessary emotion, not the slightest favoritism. Only the law and the evidence spoke.
Commanding the entire court with such dignity and fairness, she seemed a completely different person from the woman who cooked at home and occasionally teased him, yet she was just as impossible to look away from.
As Chen Fan watched, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind:
A woman like this was far too captivating.
The trial proceeded swiftly.
The ironclad evidence stood like a mountain; there was no defense to be made.
Leon and the other two still tried to invoke the Holy See and the Freedom Divine Domain, but Jiang Qingyuan shut them down with a single sentence. "Anyone who breaks the law within the Immortal Palace's borders will be punished under its laws. Even if the pope himself came, he could not interfere with an Immortal Palace trial."
That single sentence sealed off every avenue of retreat.
Once the final statements were complete, Jiang Qingyuan picked up her gavel and swept her gaze across the court, her voice clear and firm:
"The three defendants, Leon and the others, are guilty of coercion and assault, provoking trouble, and bribery. With punishment imposed for their combined offenses, they are hereby sentenced according to law to death, to be carried out immediately."
Thud-
The gavel fell, settling the verdict with a single strike.
The entire court fell silent, then erupted into thunderous applause.
The livestream exploded outright, the screen flooded with cries of "Good!" as emotions ran high.
In the diplomatic delegation's seats, several people from the Freedom Divine Domain and the Holy See looked livid, yet dared not utter a word.
They knew perfectly well that the Immortal Palace was determined to establish its authority through today's trial.
If they truly dared cause trouble in court, their fate would be no different from those three.
The blade of the Immortal Palace's law had never been merely for show.
After sentencing came the execution.
"The condemned prisoners' identities have been confirmed!" After verifying the identities of those to be executed, the staff withdrew from the firing range.
"Disengage the safeties!" As the captain of the military security detachment assigned to the execution grounds, Bai Ye was also leading the team carrying out this execution. Everyone was supposed to wear a face covering, but Bai Ye had chosen not to.
Click, click, click-the safeties were disengaged, and rounds were chambered.
"Fire!" Bai Ye gave the order.
Bang, bang, bang-gunshots rang out in an unbroken succession.
For the first time, the livestream did not turn away from such bloody scenes. The camera operator even moved in specifically to film them at close range.
Before their screens, quite a few people turned pale and felt unwell, but they were soon swayed by the applause around them.
Those who died all deserved to die. What was there to feel unwell about?
Once the execution was over, Jiang Qingyuan stood and slowly addressed both the entire gathering and the livestream cameras broadcasting throughout the Immortal Palace:
"The Immortal Palace's laws treat everyone equally. Whether native cultivators or foreign nationals, all who set foot within the Nine Provinces must abide by its rules."
"Those who violate our laws shall be put to death, however far away they may be; those who protect our people shall receive recognition, however humble they may be."
Those two brief sentences struck the ground with weight and spread throughout the eighty-one provinces of the Nine Provinces.
Countless cultivators watching the livestream felt their hearts surge, a wave of bold pride rising within them.
This was their Immortal Palace!
This was the confidence the Nine Provinces ought to possess!
The trial ended, and the crowd gradually dispersed.
Chen Fan followed Jiang Qingyuan down from the platform, his heart still unable to settle for a long time.
"That was so cool," he said sincerely. "That line you just said will probably spread throughout the entire Nine Provinces."
Jiang Qingyuan removed her judicial robes and handed them to an attendant beside her, returning to her usual cool demeanor, though her tone held a hint of ease. "I was merely following the rules. What truly made the difference was the Immortal Palace's strength, not a few words from me."
That was what she said, but Chen Fan knew perfectly well that someone else in that seat might not have possessed such resolve and confidence.
Not just anyone would dare withstand diplomatic pressure, sentence foreign cultivators directly to death, and even broadcast it throughout the Immortal Palace.
"Oh, right." Chen Fan suddenly remembered something. "Did you really just submit the evidence yourself, prosecute the case yourself, and deliver the verdict yourself? So you can handle the whole process alone?"
"What else?" Jiang Qingyuan glanced at him. "Dedicated staff handle the daily affairs of the Prosecution Hall and Judgment Hall. I don't intervene in ordinary cases, but for cases at this level, I have the final say."
She paused, deliberately teasing him. "What, afraid I'll casually pass sentence on you someday too?"
"Of course not." Chen Fan laughed. "I don't break the law. Besides, if you really were the one sentencing me, I'd accept it."
Jiang Qingyuan froze for a moment, then turned her face away, the tips of her ears growing faintly hot.
This brat was getting more and more unrestrained with his words.