I've Said My Piece-Who Agrees, Who Objects?
The less-than-comfortable wooden bed wasn't exactly friendly to the wounded, especially for Li Mo. Memories of what happened before he lost consciousness slowly surfaced in his mind. Li Mo struggled to sit up, which triggered a sharp pain, and Li Mo involuntarily began to cough.
He took a deep breath. This time, his lungs, which were like tattered rags, did not cough up blood. The wounds had been healed by an unknown force, but the aftereffects, along with the scars, remained. Every breath brought a slight pain, and his lungs would stop working if he exerted himself even slightly.
This made him realize that the cough would likely be a lifelong symptom, which was unacceptable for an Assassin. But at least he was alive. As long as he was alive, anything was still possible, even if it was just a possibility.
"It's a truly awful fact," Li Mo said with a self-deprecating laugh. Even with the help of the Shadow's power, he could never fight for long without it. "So, if I want to prove my existence to Holy Sight Mountain, there are only two ways: one is to become the most extreme Assassin, pursuing the ability to kill with a single blow; the other is to become the leader of a major power."
"If a choice must be made, both should begin simultaneously." The black sun on Li Mo's chest flickered slightly, and a wisp of black energy emerged from it, pulling Li Mo into deeper shadows. "Embrace the shadows, or die in the darkness."
"The so-called light, to me, will always be a joke." Li Mo stood up, lifted the tent flap, coughed twice, and saw the situation in the camp.
The campsite wasn't large; it was clearly a newly established temporary camp. Apart from a few single tents and a main camp tent, the rest were large communal tents. Judging from this, the single tent I was in was quite nice.
The entire camp probably only had a little over a hundred people. Although their clothes were different, they all wore some kind of Black Day symbol, such as armbands, rings, or embroidery on their clothes.
Li Mo looked at himself. No one had changed his pants, but his shirt had been stripped off. White bandages were wrapped around his chest and right hand, and the Black Day mark on his chest was faintly visible. A cool feeling came from the bandages, which was probably the reason why the tear in his lung was healing quickly.
Stepping barefoot out of the tent, Li Mo could sense that many members of the Shadow Cult were watching him, or rather, the faintly visible tattoo on his chest, but no one approached him.
Without hesitation, Li Mo headed towards the main camp in the center. Some intense arguments were being heard from inside, and a wisp of information reached Li Mo's mind, making him realize his current awkward situation.
A prophecy has been passed down within the Shadow Cult: the one with Black Day on his chest will become the leader of the Shadow Cult, leading it to an unprecedented golden age.
Because of this prophecy, the Shadow Cult has never had a leader, only a high priest and a few officers who make decisions about the Shadow Cult together. And obviously, he is that person. However, firstly, he is an outsider, and may even have been an enemy before, so it is difficult to gain recognition. Secondly, Li Mo coughed twice, no one would admit that a useless person is the leader.
When Li Mo arrived at the main camp, the two guards at the entrance blocked his way and said coldly, "The Shadow Council is in session; unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter!"
"Unauthorized personnel..." Li Mo's lips curled into a smile, and his voice instantly grew louder.
"I can't possibly approve that kid as our leader! You've all examined his injuries; he could suddenly die from over-excitement one day, not to mention he used to be from Holy Sight Mountain!"
"You said it yourself, Riftbreaker such a big, Black Day on his chest. Are you blind? Or do you have some designs on the leader's position?" A mature and charming voice rang out, but the words were anything but polite.
"Who knows if he's a spy? As for the Black Day on his chest, doesn't Holy Sight Mountain Ke Su also have one? Maybe it's a forgery by Ke Su..."
"Bang..."
All conversation within the camp ceased abruptly. Two figures flew in, crashing to the ground. The tent flap billowed high, and the barefoot youth entered, tearing open the bandage on his chest to reveal the Black Day gleaming with black light.
He glanced around at everyone, a smile on his face, and said directly, "Ahem, I heard I'm your leader, so here I am. Anyone have any objections?!"
"You've injured someone from my Shadow Cult! You're asking for death!" The loud-voiced man known as Riftbreaker his fist on the table and stood up. He was over two meters tall, with a strong physique and some simple armor. His wrist guards bore the mark of the Black Day.
Riftbreaker didn't say much. He didn't answer Li Mo's question. Instead, he seized on the fact that Li Mo had injured the gatekeeper. He Li Mo as an outsider. From slamming the table to taking action, he didn't hesitate at all. Li Mo still had the ability to move. If he was beaten to the point of being unable to move, then even if that kind of cripple had an extra mark on his back, he still wouldn't be able to become the leader.
Black energy surged from Riftbreaker's hand, transforming into a gigantic axe. He leaped over the table, unleashing unparalleled power as he cleaved down at Li Mo. It wasn't that the people present were powerless to stop him; rather, they all chose to watch. If he couldn't even get past this hurdle, then he was definitely not a good leader.
The power of shadow was mobilized, transforming into armor on Li Mo's body. A black shadow flashed past, Riftbreaker straight towards Lie Po, passing through Riftbreaker's body and appearing behind him. Li Mo's body also instantly turned into a black shadow and was struck by the giant axe.
The dark figure that had floated behind Riftbreaker instantly transformed into Li Mo, delivering a powerful kick to Riftbreaker's back. Using the momentum, Li Mo landed directly in front of the group leader's seat, sending Riftbreaker crashing to the ground and causing it to tremble. Li Mo looked at the crowd again, coughed twice, and grinned, saying, "I am the leader. Who agrees? Who disagrees?"
Meanwhile, at the same time, on Holy Sight Mountain, Ling Piaoluo lay on the bed. Wisps of black smoke drifted out from his abdomen. Finally, the last wisp of black smoke drifted away and was absorbed into a piece of jade, making the jade surrounded by a black aura.
"How terrifying, the power of shadow." Ke Su sighed from the side. Although Ling Piaoluo dodged the attack by turning into blue flames, the opponent's kick still transmitted the power of shadow into his body.
Holy Sight Mountain was not prepared to go to war with the forces of darkness. After such a long pursuit that day, coupled with Ling Piaoluo's injury, this was the reason why Ke Su ordered a retreat. Otherwise, Holy Sight Mountain would have suffered heavy losses.
"I've already sent a message to headquarters. The Assassin Order will send reinforcements soon. This time, we must annihilate the Shadow Cult!" Ke Su said firmly, looking at the jade stone shrouded in black energy.