Chapter 435: 434. Chapter 429: The Nine Courts Divine Code

434. Chapter 429: The Nine Courts Divine Code

Stepping out from Tianjie Square led directly onto Tianjie Street.

Standing at the entrance of Tianjie, Ding Huan was utterly awestruck.

This wasn't about how wide the street was or how grand it looked—it was truly majestic and imposing.

Ding Huan had never before seen a street and thought of the word "imposing."

The street before him was three-dimensional.

A thirty-zhang-wide street wasn't particularly remarkable; the shops on either side were each spacious and eye-catching, their signs varied and arresting.

That was still normal enough, but above this street, another street was stacked atop it—this made Ding Huan think the design was wildly imaginative.

Above this street, a new street had been constructed using arrays; its shops floated in midair, surrounded by array-built aerial walkways.

This wasn't the end—above the second level, there was a third floating street.

These stacked streets formed a trapezoid, adorned with colorful immortal flowers, giving one a sense of boundless serenity.

No matter which level of street you stood on, the sky remained completely unobstructed.

If these streets were merely array-built layers in empty space, that wouldn't be unusual—Ding Huan came from Earth, where this was just like some commercial center with a spiral staircase in the middle.

Walking along Tianjie, every so often, there were sloping streets.

Watching these streets slant upward into the sky, they resembled the Southern Heavenly Avenue.

With so many streets stacked together, they weren't cramped at all—instead, they felt vast and open.

Ding Huan understood the principle: there was no steel-reinforced concrete here—everything was arranged in empty space, making it even more awe-inspiring.

How many shops could there possibly be here?

With so many shops, could there really be business?

Seeing people constantly flowing along every street, Ding Huan felt this might truly be the commercial center of the Pangu Great World.

Ding Huan led Lu Busi into a large-looking mall.

As soon as he entered the mall, Ding Huan felt an even denser aura of immortal qi than on the street.

He couldn't help but sigh—outside, arranging Spirit Gathering Immortal Arrays was forbidden, yet every single shop here had one installed.

If he could own even one shop here, just being able to set up a Spirit Gathering Immortal Array would be enough.

"What are you looking for, fellow cultivator?" A shop assistant greeted him warmly.

"I want a copy of the Immortal Court's legal code—do you have any?" Ding Huan asked.

Upon arriving in a new place, purchasing a legal code was standard practice—especially since Ding Huan worried the Qianyuan Immortal Estate affair might affect him.

Hearing Ding Huan wanted a legal code, the assistant became even more enthusiastic: "Of course we do! We absolutely have it.

I sell the latest Nine Courts Divine Code—its principles are flawless, each copy bears the Great Emperor's seal. You won't be cheated, and the price is the lowest."

Ding Huan was puzzled—buying a legal code should cost at most a dozen low-grade immortal crystals.

Why such enthusiasm? And "principles flawless"? Ha—what use are principles in a legal code?

Each one bears the Great Emperor's seal? Go fool some ghost.

No wonder Tianjie is so bustling—look at this assistant, so effusive over a few low-grade immortal crystals. I've learned something.

"Fine, give me one. How many immortal crystals?" Ding Huan was satisfied with the assistant's service attitude.

What did lying matter? In business, few are honest.

The assistant beamed and pulled out a jade box from behind the counter.

Ding Huan thought: good business sense.

Even a single legal code jade slip was packaged so exquisitely—and sealed with restrictions.

With this attitude, packaging, and promotion, even if it cost several high-grade immortal crystals, Ding Huan would consider it reasonable.

"The total is one million and six hundred thousand high-grade immortal crystals. I can make you a discount—let's round it to one million high-grade immortal crystals."

The assistant beamed, his eyes smiling.

Ding Huan froze—this assistant's enthusiasm had turned in his eyes into a charlatan and a swindler.

No wonder all the buildup—just for a legal code, one million high-grade immortal crystals? Why not just rob someone?

Wait—where else could you get immortal crystals faster than this?

"If I don't buy it, will I be unable to leave?" Ding Huan said calmly.

A legal code priced at one million high-grade immortal crystals? Clearly, they were starting to fleece him—he guessed he wouldn't be allowed to leave if he refused.

Cheating—unusually brazen.

The assistant blinked, his smile fading: "What are you talking about? Our Qingqiu Mall offers genuine goods and conducts business fairly. If you don't want it, please leave—what do you mean 'unable to leave'?"

"Then, Lao Liu, let's go," Ding Huan gestured to Lu Busi beside him.

As Ding Huan and Lu Busi walked out of the shop, Ding Huan was ready for them to call out and stop him.

To his surprise, he had already left the street, and no one called after him.

How was that possible? A legal code really sold for one million high-grade immortal crystals?

Ding Huan didn't believe it—he specifically took Lu Busi to the second level of floating streets and entered another shop.

"Do you have the Nine Courts Divine Code?" Ding Huan asked.

This assistant wasn't as enthusiastic as the last one; upon hearing the question, he came over: "Yes. One million and six hundred thousand high-grade immortal crystals."

Ding Huan was speechless—it really was one million and six hundred thousand high-grade immortal crystals.

So the previous assistant hadn't lied to him.

"Can you lower the price?" Ding Huan could only haggle.

The assistant said: "This is a legal code with the Great Emperor's seal and clear principles—it's this price everywhere. How can it be cheaper?"

"How do I know your legal code is real?" To haggle, Ding Huan habitually belittled the item.

The clerk's expression changed instantly: "Esteemed Daoist, you mustn't speak so carelessly. Selling fake laws carries the death penalty—I guarantee every Nine Court Immortal Law in our shop is genuine."

"If you're certain you want it, I'll give you the lowest price: one million five hundred thousand superior immortal crystals."

"Let's go." Ding Huan pulled Lu Busi away again.

The third shop, then the fourth…

The cheapest price was still one million two hundred thousand superior immortal crystals.

If it weren't for how awkward it would be, Ding Huan would have returned to the first shop and bought that Nine Court Immortal Law right away.

Sigh, indeed one must not presume to know what one doesn't understand.

In the end, Ding Huan purchased a Nine Court Immortal Law bearing the Great Emperor's seal from the sixth shop for one million superior immortal crystals.

Though it wasted some time, it wasn't entirely useless.

At least Ding Huan now knew that few private individuals bought Nine Court Immortal Laws—those who did were almost always officials from various departments, or members of the Immortal Law Department or Thunder Law Department.

Some even pooled resources to buy a single copy, simply because the law was so expensive.

Who could afford a price of one million per copy?

If Ding Huan hadn't acquired ten million superior immortal crystals from Wu Jian's ring, he too would have only been able to look.

After Ding Huan bought several more jade slips—Tianjie Notes, Immortal Court Notes—the sky had turned dark.

He could only take Lu Busi to stay at a Tianjie rest house.

Fortunately, the rest house's price was still within reach: one hundred superior immortal crystals per night for two people.

As soon as they entered the rest house, Ding Huan took out the Nine Court Immortal Law.

He truly wanted to know why this law was priced at one million superior divine crystals.

When his spiritual sense settled upon the Nine Court Immortal Law, Ding Huan began to understand.

This wasn't an ordinary jade slip inscribed with spiritual intent—it was truly saturated with various cosmic principles.

For the same crime, the final judgment could vary depending on the accused's status, location, spatial conditions, even seasonal changes.

These specific variations could not be described in words at all.

Thus, they required the use of shifting Dao rhythms and cosmic principles to express them.

The Nine Court Immortal Law was divided into General Law, Court Law, Sub-Law, Detailed Law…

Under each of these, further subdivisions existed, and subdivisions within subdivisions.

To fully comprehend the Nine Court Immortal Law, one needed an extremely clear grasp of all changes in existence, and precise understanding of spatial shifts in the environment and crime scene.

For example, in a rape-murder case, if Person A was the perpetrator and Person B the victim, whether A received the death penalty depended on multiple factors.

For instance, if A held high status, the sentence would be reduced.

Or if A had been pressured into drinking, if B wore revealing clothing, spoke provocatively, or was affected by certain spatial principles—all could be cited under specific legal clauses to reduce the sentence.

In short, if the law student wished to exonerate A, A could be exonerated.

If the law sought to increase A's guilt, the same logic applied.

Ding Huan sighed helplessly—this law was clearly crafted by the powerful.

They could use it to excuse themselves, justify their actions, and crush their opponents into the abyss.

Moreover, ordinary cultivators could never afford such a law; though it was theoretically open to all, who could raise one million immortal crystals?

Even if one bought it, one couldn't learn it.

One needed acute sensitivity and clarity toward cosmic principles—otherwise, this law in your hands was merely a stone, for you couldn't even finish reading it, let alone understand it.

Lu Chongdao, knowing full well such a Nine Court Immortal Law existed, still wanted to take on the case of the son of the Flag-Bearer of Kuishui Department—how presumptuous of him.

For Ding Huan, had he not cultivated the Great Cosmos Art, he would never have looked at this law.

Because to fully comprehend this principle-based law would take over a hundred years.

Provided, of course, one already had a clear understanding of cosmic principles.

But for Ding Huan, this Nine Court Immortal Law was child's play.

He cultivated the Great Cosmos Art—every cosmic principle was but a speck of dust within his own Great Dao Universe; any cosmic law, to him, merged effortlessly into the Great Dao Universe of his spiritual sea.

Studying this Nine Court Immortal Law brought Ding Huan not the slightest pressure.