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

Chapter 194 Abandoned Pawn

An Lushan temporarily suppressed his doubts about the "Lu Bu among men" and frowned slightly, saying, "The gilded cauldron? That is the national treasure of the Ming Dynasty. How can it be borrowed so easily? Mr. Zhuge, your request is a bit unreasonable."

“Prince An, now that you are the Prince An of the Great Ming Dynasty, with the Emperor’s Sword in your hand, the gilded cauldron is nothing but a mundane object. With your abilities, I think it won’t be difficult!” Kongming leaned forward slightly, his eyes filled with unwavering certainty.

"What use do you, a cultivator, have for these mundane things? Don't try to trick me!" An Lushan stared intently at Kongming with eyes like a hawk, trying to find a flaw in the other's expression.

"Don't worry, Prince An. To be honest, I really need the gilded cauldron. I will definitely return it after I'm done with it and won't make things difficult for you!" Kongming said confidently.

"Hmph, easy for you to say. Although this gilded cauldron is of little use to the cultivation world, it is of extraordinary significance. It is the foundation of the royal family's rule over the country. If it is lost, I will have no way to explain it to Emperor Ming."

An Lushan snorted coldly, his face full of suspicion.

"Don't worry, it won't be lost!" Kongming said calmly, his smile unchanged.

"You'd better explain clearly what you want this gilded cauldron for, otherwise I can't agree to it."

A sly glint flashed in Kongming's eyes as he slowly spoke: "Don't worry, this gilded cauldron already has an owner. Even if we want to restore our kingdom, we would never covet it. Since you asked, I'll be frank: we intend to use it to find the whereabouts of the Jade Void Seal!"

Upon hearing this, An Lushan was startled, but remained outwardly calm, sneering, "How can the gilded cauldron find the Jade Void Seal? Are you trying to trick me?"

"These five founding treasures share the same origin. Our organization has stumbled upon an ancient book. If we place the gilded cauldron within a specific magic array to trigger its resonance with the Jade Void Seal, and then combine it with our organization's unique secret technique, we will surely be able to find out the whereabouts of the Jade Void Seal." Kongming narrowed his eyes slightly, looking unfathomable.

Although An Lushan still had doubts, he was somewhat skeptical of Kongming's words, which made him believe them.

Moreover, these founding treasures have been explored by countless experts over thousands of years, but none of them have come to any conclusion. In the end, they have concluded that they are of no benefit to cultivation and are merely symbols of imperial power in the mortal world.

Cultivation forces like the Blood Drop Pavilion wouldn't be interested in it; they simply want to use it to find their own founding treasure, the Jade Void Seal.

An Lushan weighed his options for a long time before looking up at Kongming, a sharp glint in his eyes: "I agree, but I can't guarantee success! Shouldn't your esteemed institution also show some sincerity?"

Upon hearing this, Kongming still wore a warm smile on his face, "It all depends on human effort. I wonder what kind of sincerity Prince An requires?"

"Did your esteemed establishment participate in the destruction of the Biyou Sect back then, causing the fall of my An family's three prefectures?" An Lushan questioned.

Kongming remained calm. Facing An Lushan's questioning, he unhurriedly picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and slowly put the teacup down after swallowing it.

"Times have changed. In the bloody and turbulent world of cultivation, the conflicts of interest are intricate and complex. Today's enemy may become a partner in the next moment. Moreover, the destruction of the Biyou Sect is the result of the intertwining of multiple forces. Even without the participation of our sect, I believe it was only a matter of time."

snort!

An Lushan snorted coldly, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness: "I have devoted my heart and soul to the three prefectures of the An family, and it has not been easy to achieve such a scene. Is your esteemed institution just going to gloss over it like this?"

"Hahaha...Does Prince An really want my sect to reclaim the three prefectures for you?"

Kongming chuckled and said.

Now, the three prefectures are occupied by Li Guangling. Although the Tianlei and Yuding sects are guarding them, they nominally belong to the Tang Dynasty.

The Blood Drop Pavilion is currently preparing to take action against the Yuan Dynasty. No matter how strong they are, it is impossible for them to fight against the three major factions of the Tang and Yuan Dynasties at the same time.

An Lushan understood this perfectly well. His face turned ashen as he said, “Reclaim the three prefectures? I’m not that naive! But I can’t swallow the fact that Kongming harmed me. I’ve heard that he has a confidante. I would like to ask your esteemed institution to hand her over to me. She is just a mere mortal princess. I don’t think Mr. Zhuge would refuse!”

Upon hearing this, Kongming's gentle face instantly turned cold, and a flash of murderous intent appeared in his eyes.

"Although Kongming is dead, our sect promised back then not to touch those around him. We have always kept our promises. Prince An, you should think carefully and not let such a small matter become an obstacle to our cooperation!"

An Lushan frowned slightly. Kongming's murderous intent had changed with lightning speed, yet he had keenly caught it, and a hint of suspicion arose in his heart.

An Lushan didn't believe in keeping his promises at all.

Could it be that my assertiveness displeased the other party?

An Lushan composed himself and suppressed his doubts.

Very well! When I rise to power, when I rise to power, I will settle this score properly! Not a single one of them will escape!

An Lushan gritted his teeth inwardly, then gave Kongming a cold look, "Mr. Zhuge, tell me your next move!"

Seeing that An Lushan was not going to dwell on the matter any further, Kongming temporarily suppressed his urge to kill the man on the spot and said calmly, "Didn't you boast to the Xuantian Sect that you would find the person behind it all?"

"Hmm? So what?" An Lushan frowned, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes. "You don't actually want me to push you out here, do you?"

"Just tell me the truth! I have my own way of dealing with it!" Kongming said coldly.

Upon hearing this, An Lushan's expression became even more suspicious. He stared intently at Kongming, trying to discern something from his expression.

Is Blood Drop Pavilion preparing to confront the three major sects of the Great Yuan Dynasty so soon?

An Lushan pondered to himself, wondering what the person in front of him was really up to, as he always seemed unpredictable!

"Since you're so confident, I'll do as you say."

After saying this, An Lushan left the Eastern Palace without looking back.

Kongming watched An Lushan's retreating figure, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and a slight, almost imperceptible sneer appeared on his lips.

Seeing An Lushan leave, Temujin hurriedly entered the main hall.

“Mr. Zhuge, An Lushan is no benevolent man. Once he leaves, things may change!” Temujincheng said anxiously, his brows furrowed.

"Bless yourself!"

Kongming turned his head and said in a cool and indifferent tone.

"Mr. Zhuge, what...what...what does this mean?"

Temujincheng's eyes widened, his face filled with fear and confusion, and his voice became somewhat stuttering due to his panic.

However, Kongming showed no intention of explaining. He took a step and disappeared from the spot, leaving Temujincheng standing there dumbfounded, his face filled with even greater fear.

"Am I really just a pawn?!"

Temujin instinctively called out and took a few steps forward, only to find that Kongming had already vanished without a trace...