A quarter of an hour later, Jiang Li arrived at the Xuanyuan Platform in the Imperial City.

On the high stone platform, the Princess stood facing the wind. The breeze tugged at her palace outfit, accentuating her graceful figure, and the crimson hem of her dress shimmered in the wind.

After Xiao Tian reported the news, the people dispatched by the Princess arrived shortly afterward, inviting Jiang Li to Xuanyuan Platform.

"Princess."

Jiang Li ascended the Xuanyuan Platform and called out to the Princess’s back.

The Princess turned around, glanced at Jiang Li, and said meaningfully, "Call me sister-in-law."

Jiang Li: "······"

He was worried that calling the Princess sister-in-law would uncover her scars and provoke her, especially since he had previously witnessed the hatred in the Princess’s heart. Unexpectedly, the Princess seemed to relish having her scars revealed.

This woman can be truly ruthless.

"Sister-in-law." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Jiang Li, of course, adapted quickly and said, "Did you call me here, sister-in-law, because the Celestial Map and the Map of Mountains and Rivers are here?"

Upon hearing Jiang Li’s address, the Princess’s face lit up with a hint of contentment, and she chuckled softly, "Of course they are here. Where could be safer than the Emperor’s seclusion place, right? The clan elders only safeguard the opening spell to prevent accidents. Ultimately, it’s still the Emperor who can use the Celestial Map."

By now, Jiang Li had already learned the truth about the Emperor’s Dao Fruit. The previous speculations that the Nine Provinces were the Emperor’s Divine Domain had proven incorrect.

The Emperor’s Dao Fruit had nothing to do with the Earth Deity; it was actually a metamorphosis of one side of the Fuxi Dao Fruit.

Since control over the Earth Deity was not due to the Emperor’s Dao Fruit, there naturally had to be another source.

The Celestial Map and the Map of Mountains and Rivers are the true roots of controlling the Earth Deity.

The Celestial Map, being a Dao Artifact bearing the Dao Fruit of Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole, can establish corresponding laws at the behest of its owner. The Map of Mountains and Rivers possesses immense control over the land and can also suppress the Earth Deity.

All Earth God Dao Fruits must undergo the refinement of these two objects, sowing the corresponding laws, thus granting the Emperor dominion over the Earth Deity. It can even forge Authority Seals for important members of the Royal Family, enabling them to suppress the Earth Deity as well.

Mastering the Emperor Dao Fruit grants the strongest power in Great Zhou; mastering Great Zhou’s Household Registration allows tracking information on the populace and even erasing them through the Book of Life and Death; mastering the Celestial Map and the Map of Mountains and Rivers enables absolute control over local officials.

The combination of the three—power, life and death, and great might—consolidates the unyielding imperial power of eight hundred years.

Unfortunately, the root of this imperial power—the Emperor—eventually encountered problems, leading to a series of subsequent changes.

Jiang Li had first taken Great Zhou’s Household Registration, then bore the Dao Fruit, and now he needed to complete the last piece of the puzzle.

He had always adapted well to positional changes. Previously indifferent to the Emperor’s position and related matters, now that he was destined to ascend, he naturally wanted to seize everything he could.

"When Great Zhou was founded, the Celestial Map was used to establish laws, stipulating that whoever among the Ji and Jiang families became Emperor would control these Second Grade Daoist Artifacts. At that time, the Jiang family still had a chance to vie for the Emperor’s position until the Ji family acquired the Map of Mountains and Rivers."

While speaking, the Princess extended her hands before her, intertwining hundreds of threads of True Qi in her palms to form an intricate talisman. "At that time, the Emperor personally acted to secretly seize this map and combined it with the Celestial Map, allowing the Ji family to gain control over local officials, thereby eliminating the Jiang family’s chances of succession completely."

After all, with all local officials thoroughly controlled, what hope did the Jiang family have, even if qualified for succession?

Unless they could produce someone stronger than the Emperor, the Jiang family had no chance of succeeding.

"Ah, the Emperor, truly selfless," Jiang Li said with a hint of sarcasm.

The Emperor took action to seize the Map of Mountains and Rivers, disregarding alliances, seemingly a selfish act, but in truth, it was to ensure the eternal stability of Great Zhou’s Jiangshan, utterly selfless.

Absolute selflessness isn’t necessarily about being aboveboard; on the contrary, for the sake of public interest, the Emperor would stop at nothing.

Seizing the Map of Mountains and Rivers may have been an unjust act, but the Emperor would feel not an ounce of guilt for it.

Selfless, truly selfless, to the point of having no self.

"Indeed, absolutely selfless, untouched by personal feelings, which is why the elders of the Ji family believe you won’t go to extremes. With this principle, even among the Jiang family, there will be those in the royal clan who will argue on your behalf and help you win over the hearts of other clansmen," explained the Princess.

"Sister-in-law has truly gone to great lengths for her clansmen," Jiang Li replied with a smile, revealing part of the Princess’s thoughts.

"After all, they are my clan, and they are not entirely like pests," the Princess replied calmly.

"Cik!"

With a push of her palm forward, the talisman soared into the air. Upon reaching its perch, it seemed to strike something solid, firmly imprinting itself and extending complex patterns outward, forming a vast portal.

Immediately, the portal opened wide, a mix of dense and lofty aura emanated from it, even repelling the Five Vile Qi.

Seeing this, Jiang Li instantly soared up with the Princess, directly entering the portal.

The dense and lofty aura intertwined and evolved, the scene of mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and stars appeared before their eyes, forming an incomparably vast world, yet it suddenly collapsed and condensed into a painting, floating ahead.

Within and beyond the Nine Provinces, including the territory of the Buddha Country and the boundless desert, all appeared on the painting, making it extraordinarily vast, with Cycle Stars arrayed above, spinning in harmony with the earth below.

Heaven and earth formed a complete unity.

"The Celestial Map and the Map of Mountains and Rivers merge, as if bearing the weight of heaven and earth, making it impossible for anyone to move or even touch it. The Magic Door controlling the Map of Mountains and Rivers cannot control the Celestial Map, and vice versa, the Magic Door controlling the Celestial Map cannot control the Map of Mountains and Rivers."

The Princess looked at the painting ahead, explaining to Jiang Li.

Besides the painting, there was nothing else in this Cave Heaven, darkness surrounded all directions, with nothing in existence. Jiang Li and the Princess employed Qi manipulation in midair, gazing at the painting encompassing the Map of Mountains and Rivers and Cycle Stars.

"How did the Ji Family’s clan elders separate the two maps, and hide the Map of Mountains and Rivers?" Jiang Li asked.

If it couldn’t be controlled, how could they be confident in separating the two maps?

"They must have obtained some Magic Door from the Emperor," the Princess looked at the painting, mocking, "They think they can separate the two maps, yet don’t consider, if the Magic Door in their hands were effective, how could it be passed to them?"

If the Magic Door were effective, someone else would have separated the two maps long ago.

As long as the Great Venerable wishes, there are ways to extract the necessary information from the minds of the clan elders.

These old folks, though in high positions, are oblivious to the true power of the Supreme. Especially the Great Venerable, when facing those weaker than him, there’s no resistance at all. A single Cosmic Light Divine Ability can do anything he desires, and they won’t feel a thing afterward.

Because the Great Venerable can reverse their time.

As for why the Emperor knows about those so-called "some Magic Door"······

"Indeed, it’s Oral Heavenly Constitution." Jiang Li realized.

This is the classic: once you open your mouth, leave the rest to the Oral Heavenly Constitution to find a way.

In this world, there’s truly nothing more versatile than the Oral Heavenly Constitution, as long as the power provided is sufficient, it can accomplish anything······ anything not exceeding the upper limit of the Dao Fruit Divine Power - which is the upper limit of the Fuxi Daoist Path.

Successive Emperors also relied on the Oral Heavenly Constitution to use the two maps, and even analyzed through their Realm to deduce some Magic Doors.

However, from the outcome, these Magic Doors had little effect.

From Jiang Li’s perspective, though successive Emperors reached the Realm of the Supreme, they couldn’t comprehend the Divine Skills of the Emperor Dao Fruit, nor create corresponding Cultivation Techniques.

Currently, Jiang Li too cannot comprehend the profoundness of the Green Emperor’s Divine Power.

"Only the Emperor can use this item, what happens next is up to you on your own, I’m off to gather the royal clan to prevent any mishaps. By the way, I’ll warn them not to meddle in separating me from Li."

Speaking the last sentence, the Princess again wore a meaningful expression. Then, she gracefully moved and left the Cave Heaven space.

Leaving Jiang Li alone facing the painting.

’Is this trying to manipulate me?’

Jiang Sikong, who ruled at home without contest, thought and sneered disdainfully.

People are different, and so are affiliated sons-in-law.

Jiang Li snorted lightly, dismissive of these small tricks, then focused on observing the painting where two maps merged.

The Divine Skills of ’Emperor Emerges from Zhen’ commenced at full force, Jiang Li’s pupils stood upright, scales appeared on his body.

An intangible aura circulated between Jiang Li and the painting, then—

"Open."

The Divine Skills were deployed, the painting responded and moved, again evolving into the scene of sun, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers.

Cycle Stars ascended to the sky, mountains and rivers descended to the earth, all things presented themselves, an invisible tremor flowed within Jiang Li’s heart.

Heaven and earth, all things were born with oneself, responded to oneself, the final Divine Skills of Zhuang Zhou Dao Fruit were finally triggered.

[Saint: The saint is nameless, taking heaven as the faith, morality as the foundation, the Dao as the door, signified in changes. Changes of the Heavenly Dao, motion and stillness conform to heaven and earth, a resolute heart reigns over the world, a resolute heart conquers all things.]