Counterattack System appeared when I'm already At The Mahayana Realm

Chapter 722: Chapter 721: The Emperor’s Power, Unbound by Laws

“Wouldn’t Bai Hongtu, the most unreliable disciple, have been killed by the first emperor for speaking out of turn?” All the other sect leaders knew their place, they obeyed when they needed to. Jiang Li was genuinely concerned for Bai Hongtu.

Jiang Li couldn’t imagine Bai Hongtu speaking to him politely and respectfully.

“Every maiden from illustrious clans, every beautiful female cultivator, all were drawn to the first emperor, the only domineering figure in the universe since its existence, and volunteered to become his concubines.”

Jiang Li was certain that this was a romanticized account. He distinctly remembered the first emperor declaring that all the beauties of the world should be under his control.

He did not believe that individuals like Yu Yin and White Snow Spirit would willingly follow the first emperor.

“When the Nine Provinces continent and the Eight Desolate Worlds collided, the first emperor followed the clues from the Eight Desolate Worlds straight to the Immortal Realm, fought the Heavenly Dao, and the Immortal Realm vanished into thin air.

...

“The first emperor returned to the Nine Provinces, and turned the living star of the Eight Desolate World into a continent, which revolved around the Nine Provinces.”

“Hence, some refer to the Nine Provinces as the Middle Kingdom.”

“Inspired by the Eight Desolate Worlds, the first emperor used the Nine Provinces to collide with other worlds, combining them and integrating them into his rule.”

“The lands continued to expand, becoming more than ten times larger than before.”

“The Immortal Artifact developed an intelligence before being shattered by the first emperor. Without the magic gourd, the first emperor could not establish stable connections with other worlds, so he chose this method.”

“After establishing the Daoist dynasty, the first emperor drew maps, standardized policies, publicized Cultivation Techniques, established civil service examinations, lowered the difficulty of Cultivation Training, provided channels for rising in rank, permitting people of other worlds to retain their languages, but the official language had to be the dialect of the Nine Provinces…. ”

Seeing the myriad actions and decisions of the first emperor written in the book, Jiang Li seemed to envision the first emperor sitting on his throne, making decisions, with a grand ambition to tailor the Nine Provinces to his liking.

Reading the part that mentioned “standardizing policies”, Jiang Li wondered about the new system established by the first emperor. Before that, the systems of each country had differed, with the most organized being the Zhou Dynasty, and the most chaotic being the Yong Dynasty. But what about the system established by the first emperor?

Jiang Li purchased the first emperor’s laws, and the very first law made him falter.

The first law read: The emperor is sacred and inviolable. The emperor’s power is inherent and is not restricted by law.

The second law read: The subjects of the Daoist dynasty must all follow this law.

Jiang Li said: “…”

It was the first time Jiang Li had seen anyone blatantly state their priveleges in the law, and furthermore, as the very first rule, not even bothering to disguise it.

“Seems like I haven’t forgotten what I learned about the history of the legal system in my past life. It’s a replay of the late Qing dynasty history, but even more exagerrated.”

Jiang Li continued reading and found that the laws set by the first emperor were pretty fair, assuming the first law is excluded.

In fact, considering the diverse cultures and societal structures of the other worlds, the first emperor even allowed these worlds a degree of autonomy.”

Jiang Li did not doubt the first emperor’s capacity for enforcement. If the first emperor dared to unify the laws, he would also dare to punish those who did not comply.”

“This law could firmly be implemented in this world. It fuses the law of the jungle with order.”

“In that case, the order established by the emperor meets the requirements of Emperor Shun.”

The order proposed by Emperor Shun had two features. One, that everyone should abide by it, which was feasible; the other, that the order should be acknowledged by the majority.

The first emperor’s order was biased towards the low and middle-ranking cultivators, thus favoring the majority’s interests, and would be acknowledged by the majority.”

While the first emperor stipulated that he could disregard the law, people would probably perceive this as his prerogative as a powerful ruler, and thus acquiesce to the first rule.”

“Damn it, first emperor, have you been assimilated by the Nine Provinces or does your past still weigh on your mind?”

“The emperor expanded the Imperial Palace into the grand palace. It is the only imperial palace in the Nine Provinces. He should be there right now.”

Jiang Li wanted to see the first emperor and have a good chat with him.

Although the Imperial Palace was originally an awe-inspiring sight, it seemed less impressive compared to the majestic royal palace. The palace continued for eight hundred miles, containing mountains, rivers, and towers, pavilions clustered together like clouds in the sky. There were countless cultivation sites, and mortals within would come to lose their sense of direction.

Jiang Li suspected that if the conditions allowed, the first emperor would have built the palace as grand and magnificent as the Immortal Emperor’s Golden Que Cloud Palace.

With the first emperor’s power, he indeed had the capability.

Jiang Li thought of his own living conditions, dwelling in either an inn or a tree, it was negligible in comparison to the first emperor’s grand palace.

Centered around the Imperial Palace, the royal palace is divided into two parts: the outer court, where affairs of state are deliberated, and the inner palace, which houses the harem and the practicing grounds.

When Jiang Li used his Divine Sense to scan his surroundings, he found that the first emperor wasn’t in the palace. However, he did locate several familiar faces.

General Liu remained a General, but rather than for the Imperial Palace, it was for the grand palace. As the Grand Inner Guard, he was in charge of the palace’s security.

“Just for show.”

If anyone dared to threaten the palace’s security, they’d be messing with their own life. The emperor only chose General Liu to keep up appearances.”

Yu Yin, White Snow Spirit, Pure Heart Saintess, Mo Ruoyu, Ji Kongkong and others were all there.

Jiang Li recognized several people of extraordinary beauty, whether they be seniors, peers, or juniors.

Jiang Li landed, hid his aura, and walked into the palace with confidence. In the outer court, the busy ministers submitted their reports from various regions, dealing with government affairs and discussing responses that would both comply with the regulations and satisfy the emperor.

“The emperor is difficult to serve. Sometimes a perfectly good plan, capable of solving problems, gets approved by the emperor, but he rejects it the next day for some reason. It’s very frustrating.”

“You’re lucky you’re new here. In the old days, if the emperor wasn’t satisfied with a plan, he’d have had us killed without a second thought. He has killed far fewer people these days.”

“When the emperor had not yet officially ascended the throne, he was a peerless figure in the Mahayana realm, unfathomable like the Heavenly Authority. He did not need a reason to kill. If he wanted to kill, he would, starting with one person and then moving onto the entire family.”

“One expensive project after another takes precious resources away from the people. Look beneath your feet. This is not soil but top-grade materials used for Artifact Refining.”

“Nowadays, it’s impossible to refine top-grade Magic Artifacts outside because all the materials are used in the palace.”

“Then something happened, and the emperor’s killing spree drastically decreased. Still, every time we attend court, we are terrified and nervous, afraid of upsetting the emperor and getting ourselves executed.”

At this point, the ministers glance at each other. They were all bystanders who knew how merciless the first emperor could be.

Serving in the immortal court is akin to carrying one’s life in their hands. They had hugged their families goodbye before leaving home, fearing that they might never see them again.

They had all prepared their wills in advance.

Even though the situation has improved, who can guarantee that they won’t be killed by the first emperor?

“Sir Dong, the Zhou District has reported the discovery of a forbidden book.”

Dong raised an eyebrow: “What type of content?” @@novelbin@@

“It truthfully records the actions of the emperor.”