Changed Beyond Recognition
In the cemetery, a solitary grave stood there, all the surrounding graves moved away. The solitary grave was not ornate, but it was certainly imposing. On this day, every household in the Shadow Cult burned incense and prayed for the person in the solitary grave.
Li Mo sighed, placed three long incense sticks on the bronze cauldron in front of the lonely grave, and offered a brief prayer. He had been the leader of the Shadow Legion for a year, which also meant that the previous high priest had passed away a year ago.
A year ago, the High Priest transferred all her shadow power to Li Mo, and then various aftereffects occurred, causing her to die that same day. Li Mo hastily inherited the Shadow Cult, and many people didn't even know him the day before.
Fortunately, the High Priest had enough prestige, and the ambitious Lu Zhu had died long ago. Although some people were dissatisfied with Li Mo, they obeyed the High Priest's will and made Li Mo the leader. With the assistance of the new High Priest Yao Ge, Li Mo was able to gradually secure his position as leader.
Of course, equally important was Li Mo's strength. After receiving the High Priest's Black Day, Li Mo felt clear-headed and bright-eyed. All the key points that he couldn't understand before became clear after a little thought. In addition, with the huge shadow power provided by the High Priest, Li Mo's strength improved by leaps and bounds.
Meanwhile, after taking charge of the Shadow Cult, the Black Day on his chest gradually transmitted some of his governance experience to Li Mo's mind. Related to this was some practical knowledge about life, such as how to increase grain production and how to fertilize the land.
As this knowledge was passed on, Li Mo's prestige truly rose. Although he couldn't yet reach the level of the High Priest, becoming a god worshipped by almost everyone, he at least gained everyone's love and became a leader above average.
"Report!" A wisp of black smoke appeared behind Li Mo, transforming into a man dressed entirely in black. He knelt behind Li Mo, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said rapidly, "The Dark Guards have sent word that the Assassin Order has left."
"Oh, are you sure?" Li Mo turned around calmly and walked towards his residence. He certainly hadn't been idle this year. Besides popularizing the power of shadow and teaching more advanced shadow knowledge, he also sent spies to infiltrate Holy Sight Mountain and gather intelligence about Holy Sight Mountain.
When the Shadow Cult appeared, Holy Sight Mountain sought help from the Assassin Order. As an important part of the Assassin Order, the Assassin Order naturally did not refuse. They immediately notified the nearest personnel, who, after trekking for a month or two, arrived at Holy Sight Mountain, only to find Holy Sight Mountain peaceful.
At that time, Li Mo had just inherited the Shadow Cult, and his foundation was not stable, so he naturally did not cause any trouble. As a result, the dark forces mentioned by Holy Sight Mountain disappeared for more than half a year. If it weren't for some other things that happened in the middle, these helpers would probably have left long ago. How could they have waited for a year?
In chaotic times, every combatant is exceptionally valuable. Staying at Holy Sight Mountain for a year was already far too long, so just two days ago, the Assassin Order's reinforcements finally left.
"Then, shall we announce the six chief secretaries or the high priest?" Li Mo sat down in his seat and said to the guard beside him, his eyes gleaming. He was not the Li Mo of a year ago. Compared with before, he had matured a lot. Although he had waited for this day for a long time, he was still able to calm down and calculate the success rate of this operation, the gains, and the losses.
"The Shadow Cult has reached a bottleneck in its development. What limits us is no longer food, land, or military force, but the most basic thing: population." Li Mo's expression was cold. With the help of the various kinds of knowledge transmitted by the Black Day, productivity has greatly developed. People no longer worry about food, drink, or clothing, and the number of newborns has increased significantly.
However, population growth takes time. The Shadow Legion cannot run a scout program, or rather, it is not suitable for them. Shadow power is a product of cultivation, and both newborns growing up and those learning shadow power need time.
This process would take at least ten years, and aside from natural development, the fastest way to increase the population is through plunder—conquering another large inhabited area and taking its inhabitants.
Li Mo at the six officers who had arrived, and Yao Ge, who had inherited the position of High Priest, Li Mo's face flashed with a fierce glint, and he said coldly, "Gentlemen, I think we need a war!"
At the Holy Sight Mountain, a blue flame flickered, and Ling Ge's figure appeared out of thin air. Looking at the seemingly unchanged summit, only the cold wind brought chills. "It's only been a year, why does it feel like so much longer, Li Mo..."
The time I spent here with Li Mo over the years seems increasingly unreal. After all, memories can never be real. I sit in the spot Li Mo used to sit in, looking at the scenery Li Mo used to look at, but when she's gone, she's gone.
Standing on the steps leading to the mountaintop, Zhang Qi looked at Ling Ge, who was sitting there longing for someone. He felt exhausted, his heart filled with a thousand thoughts. He knew that disturbing someone immersed in remembrance would only make Ling Ge dislike him more.
As night fell, Ling Ge looked down at the ancient pagoda below the mountain, her expression changing slightly, a hint of hesitation flashing across her face. But she still Avatar blue flames and drifted down. Since the incident of Li Mo's defection a year ago, the restrictions on the ancient pagoda had been strengthened once again.
Originally, they planned to send disciples to guard the place, but before long, the disciples became neurotic, so Holy Sight Mountain had to strengthen the seal again, but unfortunately, all of this was in vain.
Ling Ge was familiar with the restrictions and seals here, and had an inside agent to cover for her. So Ling Ge entered the ancient tower once again and met the "person" who was admiring the moonlight.
"Didn't you say last time you wouldn't come again?" Lu Li looked at the girl in front of him with an amused smile, as if he was mocking something, or perhaps expecting something, making his meaning unclear.
Ling Ge's expression was cold, suppressing all her emotions. Wisps of pale blue flame flickered around her, gradually purifying the surrounding shadow power before she coldly said, "Does what you said even count?"
"How could it not count? It's only here that people know of Lu Li's reputation for honesty and reliability. If it were anywhere else, everyone would know." Lu Li said without batting an eye, because since he stopped being human, those things were gone.
"Li Mo just wants recognition. His mind is being misled and distorted by a large amount of shadow power that doesn't belong to him. That's the truth, I won't lie to you," Lu Li said honestly.
"It's also true that what I gave you can drain all his shadow power," Lu Li continued, speaking the truth.
"With less interference from the power of shadows, he can break free from his obsession and act accordingly. Although people can change, you've lived together for over ten years, and you still hold a significant place in his heart." This is the truth.
"I'm just providing everything to you. Even if you don't use it, you can give it to someone else, and I won't mind." Lu Li said with a cheerful smile, "As long as you're happy, that's fine. But people have to be responsible for their own choices."
But there was one more truth that Lu Li didn't say: sometimes, a person's change can be described as completely unrecognizable.