Zhuge Liang's Journey to Dominate the World: Starting from Another World

It was Mid-Autumn Festival, and the night was slightly cool.

On Wuzhang Plain, however, the lights were bright and people were bustling about.

Zhuge Liang, draped in a crane-feather cloak and holding a feather fan, stood before an altar, gazing up at the endless starry sky with a slight frown.

Among the three stars, the guest star shines brightly, while the host star is dim and without light. This difference between host and guest is like the chess game between him and Sima Yi, one side is as fiery as fire, while the other is...

"My life is over!" Kongming slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, his hand holding the feather fan trembling slightly. He knew that his days were numbered, and the future of Shu Han remained uncertain.

Behind him, Zhao Yun, Jiang Wei and other generals stood silently, their faces filled with worry and unease.

The wind at Wuzhangyuan seemed even fiercer than usual, making Kongming's crane cloak flutter and chilling everyone's hearts.

"Prime Minister, why not use the same technique as before!" Zhao Yun stepped forward and said, his eyes slightly red.

The old general's face was filled with concern and reluctance. Five years ago, he was in a life-or-death situation, but Kongming used a trick to save him and he escaped.

Outsiders all believed he was no longer alive, and as for the tomb, it was merely a cenotaph to deceive people...

Kongming shook his head slightly, a bitter smile appearing on his lips.

"Zilong, I know your heart, but if I can hide it once, how can I hide it a second time..." His words were gentle, but his heart was filled with reluctance.

Jiang Wei stood to the side, tears glistening in his eyes.

"Master, is there really no way out?" His voice was choked with emotion, and his eyes were fixed on Kongming, hoping to find a glimmer of hope on his face.

"Boyue, I have deep faith in your loyalty, and I am well aware of your talent. I hope that you will continue to assist His Majesty and protect the Han Dynasty." Kongming slowly turned around, his gaze lingering on Jiang Wei's face for a moment, his eyes full of expectation and trust.

Upon hearing this, a resolute glint flashed in Jiang Wei's eyes. He bowed deeply and said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Master, I will certainly live up to your expectations. However, why doesn't Master perform a ritual of prayer?"

Kongming closed his eyes slightly, took a deep breath, and turned to Zhao Yun, Jiang Wei, and the others, saying, "Although I am familiar with this method, I do not know what Heaven's will is!"

"I beg the Prime Minister to perform the ritual of prayer and supplication, to do everything in our power and leave the rest to fate!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun hurriedly cupped his hands in supplication, as if he had seen endless hope.

Kongming sighed softly, a complex expression on his face.

Borrowing life through the Seven Star Lamp is going against the will of Heaven. If one is not careful, one will suffer divine retribution. The Shu Han state is currently in a precarious situation. He is willing to give it a try to repay the late emperor for the important task entrusted to him.

"Very well!" Kongming said slowly, his voice low but full of determination and resolve.

……

Inside the tent was a small altar with seven oil lamps placed on the ground, each corresponding to one of the seven stars of the Big Dipper. Kongming sat cross-legged in the center.

"Boyue, you shall lead forty-nine boys to bathe and change clothes, and with flags in hand, surround my tent. No one shall enter." Kongming instructed Jiang Wei.

He then dismissed everyone else, leaving only the old general Zhao Yun behind.

"Zilong, you may stay in the tent to protect me. If the oil lamp does not go out within seven days, I can live for another twelve years. If the lamp goes out, I will surely die."

After Kongming finished speaking, he closed his eyes, concentrated, and began to silently recite the incantation.

Although Zhao Yun's hair was white and his face was weathered, his eyes still shone with loyalty and determination. Clad in silver armor and holding a silver spear, he stood solemnly beside Kongming, like a guardian deity.

As night fell again, Jiang Wei, as instructed by Kongming, led the boys to surround the tent.

Forty-nine boys, each dressed in black robes and holding flags, chanted incantations passed down by Zhuge Liang, and a mysterious aura immediately swirled above the military tent.

Sure enough, in the following days, strong winds and lightning struck repeatedly, attempting to interrupt Kongming's life-borrowing technique.

But they escaped danger time and time again, preserving the flames of the seven oil lamps, and the prayers continued until the sixth night.

"The Wei army has arrived!"

"The Wei army has arrived!"

"The Wei army has arrived!"

Suddenly, someone shouted outside the tent and rushed into Kongming's tent.

Suddenly, Wei Yan flung open the tent flap, and a fierce wind arose, instantly extinguishing the seven oil lamps that had been steadily burning...

Just then, a thick bolt of lightning descended from the sky, engulfing Kongming directly. A loud explosion erupted inside the tent, followed by a burst of golden light.

Jiang Wei roared, "Wei Yan, you old dog! How dare you ruin the Prime Minister's important affairs! Your crime deserves death!"

Wei Yan was terrified by what he saw. After everything calmed down, there was no sign of Kongming and Zhao Yun in the tent. They had probably been turned to ashes by lightning.

……

After a bout of dizziness, Kongming felt as if all the bones in his body were shattered, and the intense pain had left him numb.

He tried moving his fingers, then lifted his right foot and bent his leg; everything was fine.

"Am I still alive?" Kongming murmured to himself in disbelief, his eyes still tightly closed.

He vaguely remembered that when Wei Yan stormed into the military tent, he was struck by lightning and then lost consciousness.

Overjoyed, he struggled to open his eyes and braced himself on the ground to get up.

Suddenly, an old face covered in wrinkles and stained with blood appeared in his line of sight. The hairstyle and clothing were clearly different from those of the Shu Kingdom.

"Young man, you're finally awake! If you hadn't met me, you probably wouldn't be alive!" The old man smiled slightly, reached out his hand, and tried to pull him up from the ground.

"You saved me?"

Kongming was startled awake. Looking at the person in front of him, he realized that he was already close to sixty years old, but the other person was calling him a young man, which made him feel a little strange.

He looked around at the surroundings. Apart from the dark valley and a pool of water, there were tattered flags, signs of a fight, and even several corpses lying on the ground, making it look very desolate.

"Where is this? Why am I here?" Kongming looked at the other party warily, then tentatively asked, "Are you acting on someone's orders?"

"If I suddenly find myself on Wei's territory, there's no way to save the situation," Kongming thought to himself.

The old man smiled slightly, revealing a set of yellow teeth. He didn't answer the question, but instead asked in return, "Young man, you've got quite the nerve. Do you think anyone would even be interested in a country bumpkin like you?"

Upon hearing this, Kongming felt a slight anger. As the prime minister of a country, he held the power to decide the lives and deaths of thousands of people. Although the other party was slightly older than him, his constant use of terms like "young man" and "country bumpkin" made him somewhat uncomfortable.

He looked down at his clothes; the once magnificent prime minister's robe was now tattered and torn, and his body was covered with wounds and bloodstains. The only thing that remained intact was his feather fan.

Kongming sized up the old man before him. He noticed that the old man's face was pale and there was a faint smell of blood, but he was full of energy and clearly not an ordinary person. So he tentatively asked, "Who are you?"

"I am Zuo Ci, an elder of the Qinglan Sect. Have you heard of me?" the old man said with a smile, seemingly quite confident in his reputation.

Kongming was stunned upon hearing this. Although the words were slightly different, he could hear them clearly word by word, but when put together, he could not understand their meaning at all.