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

In the middle and lower reaches of the river, a mountain peak stands out, its summit shrouded in mist, with a wide waterfall cascading down in front of it before finally flowing into the river below.

Palaces and pavilions can be vaguely seen on the mountain, creating a scene reminiscent of a celestial realm.

This is the location of the Qinglan Sect's mountain gate. At this moment, in the majestic palace atop the mountain, a middle-aged man with a dignified appearance sits in the main seat. His brows reveal an air of authority that is not angry but imposing. However, his breathing is somewhat unstable, as if he has suffered a serious injury. This person is none other than Su Zhuo, the sect leader of the Qinglan Sect.

Below the main seat, a young woman stood quietly.

This woman has delicate, beautiful eyebrows, eyes like autumn water, a slightly upturned nose, and cherry-red lips. Her figure is graceful yet has a touch of aloofness. She wears a simple white dress and looks like a fairy descended to earth. She is Su Yao, the only daughter of Su Zhuo, the sect leader of Qinglan Sect.

"Father, didn't Elder Zuo and the other fellow disciples return to the sect with you?"

"Perhaps they're never coming back!" Su Zhuo clutched his chest, his face slightly pale, and replied in a low voice.

"Father, how are your injuries?" Su Yao stepped forward and asked with concern.

Su Zhuo shook his head gently and sighed, "It's alright, I'll be fine after a few days of rest."

"Father, is that thing really so important that you went to such lengths to personally intervene and even caused the loss of so many sect disciples?" Su Yao frowned slightly, her tone filled with confusion and worry.

Su Zhuo narrowed his eyes and waved his hand, clearly not wanting to explain further on the matter.

Just then, three powerful old men landed outside the door.

The three are Qiu Ming, Lu Yunhe, and Shi Junyi, all of whom share the same master as Su Zhuo and Zuo Ci. Su Zhuo, in particular, is their master's last disciple.

Since Su Zhuo took over the Qinglan Sect, his lineage has become the absolute ruler of the sect, while the other two lineages have all withered away.

"Sect Master, you and Junior Brother Zuo Ci led the group out of the mountain, and now you have returned injured. I want to know what exactly happened?" Shi Junyi asked first.

Su Zhuo leaned back in his chair and did not answer. Apart from Zuo Ci and his daughter Su Yao, the other three elders were unaware of this operation.

“There are rumors lately that the Jade Void Seal has reappeared in the world. Could it be that the sect leader did this for this item?” Qiu Ming took over the conversation, staring intently at Su Zhuo.

The Jade Void Seal has a very prestigious origin. Legend has it that ten thousand years ago, a person with extraordinary cultivation emerged in the cultivation world, named Gu Xuan. He overpowered all cultivators in the world and established the rules.

Cultivators must not compete with mortals for profit, nor arbitrarily slaughter mortals. Even in battles between cultivators, boundaries must be clearly defined to prevent the innocent from being affected.

Later, in pursuit of a higher realm, Gu Xuan left this world and left behind five supreme treasures in the mortal realm, one of which was the Jade Void Seal.

These treasures not only contained his Daoist essence, but could also suppress the fortune of a region, becoming national treasures for mortal kingdoms and a sword hanging over the heads of all cultivators.

The Human Emperor of the mortal realm, blessed by destiny, possesses a supreme treasure capable of suppressing any cultivator who dares to invade. Legend has it that even terrestrial immortals cannot escape the punishment of this supreme treasure.

For a long time, cultivators and mortals lived in harmony, neither daring to cross the line.

However, as the Heavenly Dao weakened, the power of the supreme treasures gradually diminished, and cultivators began to stir, ignoring the rules. The mortal realm once again became an appendage of cultivators and a tool for seizing profits.

However, they wouldn't go too far, since no one knows if that ethereal power of the Heavenly Dao will descend again.

The five treasures witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties and circulated endlessly in the mortal world. With the fragmentation of power among various warlords, the five treasures were eventually acquired by five kingdoms, becoming national treasures and essential items for the founding of a new dynasty.

Today, the mortal world is divided into four parts: Tang, Song, Yuan, and Ming.

The Jade Void Seal disappeared a thousand years ago with the fall of the Great Qian Kingdom. Normally, cultivators would never touch such treasures of the mortal realm.

Unfortunately, after the death of the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Empress Wu usurped the throne and severely suppressed the descendants of the Li family.

As the late emperor's brother, Prince Li Chengqian of Zhongshan had always controlled the military power of the Tang Dynasty. He was a skilled and courageous general, and it can be said that he made great contributions to the stability of the Tang Dynasty's borders.

He also harbored the ambition to restore the Tang dynasty, but Empress Wu's power was too great, and his actions never succeeded.

Upon learning of the Jade Void Seal's reappearance, he believed it was a golden opportunity. If he could find the Jade Void Seal and gather its vital energy, he might be able to turn the tide and revive the glory of the Tang Dynasty.

Years ago, the Prince of Zhongshan had done a favor for the Qinglan Sect, and Zuo Ci had always had a close personal relationship with Li Chengqian, so how could he ignore it? Behind every dynasty stood top-tier cultivation forces, while the Qinglan Sect was just a cultivation sect that lived in a remote corner.

If Qinglan Sect were to be drawn into such a vortex, wouldn't people be worried? They might not even be able to stay in this small Gele County.

Su Zhuo frowned slightly and slowly closed his eyes. "You three senior brothers are overthinking things. We were just ambushed by hostile forces."

Qiu Ming, Lu Yunhe, and Shi Junyi exchanged glances. They understood that Su Zhuo was not one of them and would not tell the truth.

"No matter the reason, if Zuo Ciru dares to associate with Li Chengqian again, I hope the sect leader will handle the matter impartially, so as not to destroy the thousand-year foundation of my Qinglan Sect!" After Elder Qiu Ming finished speaking, he led the other two out of the main hall.

As Su Zhuo's senior brothers and the four elders of the sect, they had the right to supervise and correct Su Zhuo's actions.

"Senior Brother Zuo Ci, please don't betray me!"

Seeing the three leave, Su Zhuo clenched his fists. He understood that Qiu Ming and the others had not spoken without reason. Although the King of Zhongshan had once been kind to the sect, the Qinglan Sect had also cleared many obstacles for him.

They worried that if Zuo Ciru continued to entangle with Li Chengqian, it would drag the Qinglan Sect into an unpredictable storm.

……

At this moment, on the river, Kongming held a feather fan and drifted downstream. The green mountains on both banks were like dark eyebrows, the river water was crystal clear, and fish darted freely in the water. Gazing at his young and upright reflection in the water, Kongming still felt a sense of disorientation.

He touched the jade talisman in his hand, but he still had no clue what to do, so he carefully put it back into his pocket.

What kind of world is this?

After sailing for more than ten days, the river suddenly widened, and countless tributaries converged here, with a waterfall visible in the distance hanging in front of the river.

The immense impact created countless whirlpools on the river's surface. Kongming hurriedly brought the small boat to shore. Looking into the distance, he saw towering peaks reaching into the clouds, shrouded in mist, resembling a fairyland.

Kongming understood; this was precisely the place Zuo Ci had pointed out.

He once again carried Zuo Ci's body on his back, just as he was about to go ashore.

"Where did this country bumpkin come from, daring to trespass into the mountain gate?"

With a loud shout, Kongming's eardrums began to ring.

He looked up and saw two young men dressed in blue Taoist robes, holding long swords, walking menacingly toward him, clearly showing disdain for Kongming, a mere mortal.

Kongming wasn't angry, and hurriedly asked, "Is this the Qinglan Sect?"

"Eh! You look like a beggar, yet you know the name of my Qinglan Sect?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, Kongming's eyes lit up. He was not annoyed by the other party's attitude at all. He put down Zuo Ci's body and then lifted the python robe that wrapped Zuo Ci. "Do you recognize this person?"

The two men stepped forward, glanced at it, and were immediately horrified.

"Quickly...quickly go and report this..."

Note: The five dynasties mentioned here (Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qianlong) are purely for ease of remembering; please do not take them literally.