Taiyi Dao Fruit

9:45 PM.

Jiang Li flew into a forest and landed on the branch of a large tree.

He took out a bottle of Replenishing Essence Pills from his protective bracelet, swallowed them all, refined them with Innate Qi, and merged them with the power he had absorbed. As this continued, clouds of qi once again formed around him, not only fully restoring his power but also making it more refined than before.

Jiang Wuming, after all, was a Fifth Grade Master; even though his cultivation wasn't based on Innate Qi, in terms of quality, it was almost equal to Jiang Li's, of the Seventh Rank. Refining his power made Jiang Li feel almost overly full.

Then, Jiang Li used Innate Qi to transform the medicinal power, nourishing his body and replenishing the Essence Element consumed by the Five Qi Chaoyuan technique.

Finally, Jiang Li straightened his clothes, making himself look vibrant and vigorous, before he soared on the wind out of the forest and landed on the road outside the ancestral land.

At that time, on the green stone path in the valley of the ancestral land, a woman stood quietly, as if admiring the night moon or waiting for something.

Seeing Jiang Li appear, her eyes brightened with an astonishing elegance.

Jiang Li approached with a smile, "Disciple brother is unharmed; sorry for worrying you, senior sister."

"Was I worrying about you? I feared an accident might compromise Master and the Sect's Grand Plan," Gongsun Qingyue huffed.

As she spoke, she surreptitiously examined Jiang Li. Seeing nothing amiss with him, she couldn't help but wonder, "Didn't you encounter Jiang Wuming? That can't be right. There was that great light in the distant sky for two days. How could you not have met him?"

"Indeed, I did encounter him. But Jiang Wuming was just unlucky and I found an opportunity to send him directly to the Netherworld,"

Jiang Li summarized the battle in one sentence, speaking as if it was a light matter, "After this fight, all that belongs to the Qi Mountain Jiang Family will fall into my hands. Here in Yong Province, except for a few, all clan members will follow my lead. The situation is settled."

Though there are still some branches outside Yong Province, like the one Jiang Li hailed from in Bing State's Gaoyang, as soon as they receive the news from here, they should come to submit.

Even if they don't submit, they can only stay out of it at most; they won't be able to stop the unification of the branches anymore.

"In that case, our mission in Yong Province can be considered complete," Gongsun Qingyue said.

"That's correct, now we just need to win over the people's hearts and manage the Qi Mountain Jiang Family assets," Jiang Li stated.

Two-thirds of the Jiang family's troubles were resolved, leaving the one-third who had submitted to the court, which was not easy to fix.

From this perspective, the purpose of this trip was already achieved.

However—

"Ji Chengye, that brat, messed with my plans and even tried to take my life," Jiang Li said somberly.

"Big Brother went to Divine Capital with the Sect Leader last year and made quite a name for himself. He got along with the Imperial College and some royal clan descendants," Gongsun Qingyue's voice was just as somber, "This time, Ji Chengye's troubles for us might not be without Big Brother's interference."

Big Senior Brother Yun Jiuye thought highly of Jiang Li; it would stand to reason that he might try to obstruct Jiang Li's unification of the branches. But up to now, with the problem essentially resolved, there was no sign of Yun Jiuye's arrangements.

This meant either Yun Jiuye had no intention of hindering Jiang Li or he had already exerted his influence.

Jiang Li was inclined to believe the latter.

Coincidentally, so was Gongsun Qingyue.

With such a stance, coupled with Ji Chengye's previous actions—

They exchanged a glance, both conveying the same message in their eyes.

—Deal with him.

Could committing an offense against Jiang Li possibly end well for him? Impossible.

Whether out of short-term grudges or long-term considerations, Jiang Li would not let an enemy have an easy time. Since they were enemies, of course, it was natural to relentlessly pursue and destroy all their schemes, and even...

Jiang Li's heart harbored a profound intent to kill, "If there is an opportunity, kill when you must."

Although the easiest thing to do at the moment was to calm things down, gather the separated family members, and return to the Sect, Jiang Li was not willing to do so.

The enemy who is dead is the best enemy, and Jiang Li certainly wouldn't give Ji Chengye time to grow.

"Gongsun Qingyue can leverage the power of the court, and so can I. His schemes will soon be known," Gongsun Qingyue said with a smile.

"The clan members have succeeded in cultivating Innate Qi, which can now be put to good use," Jiang Li replied, equally smiling like a breath of spring.

"And there's my cheap older brother who can also be of use."

"If he doesn't help, I'll draft a letter to the Princess telling her that he has recognized you, an old acquaintance, as his worthy brother..."

"Sister, what a great plan!"

"Brother, you flatter me too much."

Gongsun Qingyue smiled happily, not only because they were about to take revenge on Ji Chengye but more so because Jiang Li had returned safely.

Jiang Li was equally happy, perhaps even this night was the most genuinely and happily he had smiled in years.

He often smiled, but within those smiles were blends of truth and deception, some from joy, and perhaps even he himself couldn't clearly tell which was which. Only today, Jiang Li knew that he was truly smiling out of happiness.

Having awakened in this body for over three years, Jiang Li felt a sense of belonging to this world for the first time.

...

...

"Yawn—"

Feng Manlou rubbed his nose and muttered, "Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling? It's probably that cheap brother of mine plotting against me."

He was standing on a hill at that moment, with a vast expanse of yellow earth before him where one could sometimes feel bursts of scorching wind.

This place was close to where Jiang Li and Jiang Wuming had fought.

Due to the collision of two suns, the heat here remained constantly high, making it virtually impossible for anyone to feel cold here, let alone for Feng Manlou whose cultivation was already immune to the effects of heat and cold.

So, it was definitely Jiang Li who was plotting against him.

Even that dutiful niece of his might be involved.

This pair of man and woman really didn't give anyone peace of mind.

But fortunately, it was just a lack of peace of mind and nothing more.

"Even if one possessed a Fourth Grade Killing Move, trying to kill a Fifth Grade Master with a Seventh Rank body is incredibly difficult, after all, a Fifth Grade Master won't just stand there and be struck. My cheap brother managing to pull this off means his future is boundless, fortunately..."

Feng Manlou's smile carried a trace of amusement, "You and I have become brothers; we cannot do things that would harm each other. Heaven is above us; this oath cannot be broken. By a chance of fate, this advantage has already been seized by me."

He looked up at the now-restored night sky, his gaze wandering among the myriad stars, "Almost time... Great Zhou for eight hundred years, Jiangshan has been stable, the Emperor, officials, and people, each in their place. However, everything has a time of exhaustion, and now, it is that time for Great Zhou. Then, when it is exhausted, things will change, and with change comes penetration."

"The Emperor Star is shifting; the world is about to change."

In the boundless starry sky, there in the far north, a great star was slowly moving, gradually deviating from its place directly above the North Pole.

In the study of Astronomy, because the North Pole Star's position is eternally fixed, this star is also called the Emperor Star, the Ziwei Star. But in truth, what is unchanging is the central North Pole, the position of the stars, not the star that resides there.

The North Pole Star too, will have its turn to change.

And now, it was time for that change.