Light and Shadow (I)
"So, you Holy Sight Mountain people have a biased understanding of the power of shadows, believing us to be evil. This understanding is wrong," Lu Li said with a smile. "You only see things in black and white, or gray. These are the only three kinds of understanding you have."
"Isn't that right? You initially seduced the Shadow Cult, making them use the lives of the inhabitants of Holy Sight Mountain to summon you, and then you possessed one of the instructors to kill the people of Holy Sight Mountain."
"After that, you seduced Li Mo's father, causing him to betray his family."
"Then, you seduced Li Mo, causing him to cultivate shadow power, which twisted his personality and ultimately led everything to the situation we have today."
"Look, this is prejudice again." Lu Li said calmly, "The power I imparted to the Shadow Cult was not a blood sacrifice. It's just that they were too impatient and chose the wrong approach."
"Then your Holy Sight Mountain invaded. They demanded power from me according to the ritual. I am a being bound by contracts, so naturally I had to give it to them. The people who killed you were those who couldn't withstand the power and committed dangerous acts. It actually had little to do with me."
"Then Li Wen brought me back to Holy Sight Mountain. It wasn't that I wanted to tempt him. After witnessing the power of the Shadow, unlike you prejudiced people, he believed this power was powerful, so he asked me for guidance, and I naturally taught him."
"He then quietly cultivated without causing any trouble. However, when his friend encountered trouble, he wanted to help but felt that his strength alone was insufficient, so he wanted to borrow my power. But because of prejudice, his master forbade it, and a fight broke out."
"It was truly an accident that I accidentally killed his master," Lu Li said nonchalantly. "As for tempting Li Mo, that didn't even exist. He desperately wanted to defeat his senior brother and gain recognition. I was just giving him power based on his desires. Who knew your master would go too far, which led everything to develop into what it is today?"
"I absolutely did not deceive you. What I gave you will definitely allow Li Mo to break free from the interference of the shadow power," Lu Li said confidently.
"Sweet talk," Ling Ge scoffed, remaining skeptical of Lu Li's words. However, Lu Li wasn't worried about this. People always trust their own judgment. He had presented her with most of the seemingly plausible facts, and whether she believed them or not, she would have that thought in her mind, and with that thought, she would be influenced.
"I will not believe you, nor will I be bewitched by you." Ling Ge snorted coldly and walked out of the ancient tower. Lu Li stood there and looked up at the moonlight outside the window again. Ling Ge had fallen into the trap, and her fate was almost written into it. If he really didn't believe her, the things he gave Ling Ge would probably have been handed over to Holy Sight Mountain long ago.
"You see, she actually believes it," Lu Li said with a smile. Inside the ancient tower, a light blue mist disappeared, and Zhang Qi appeared inside the tower.
"This is the result of your seduction, you devil." Zhang Qi's eyes were filled with a mixture of anger, resentment, Envy, and Hatred.
"I only gave her a choice, and now I'm giving you one too." Lu Li made no attempt to hide his malice. "And even if I seduced her, it was because she genuinely had those thoughts in her heart."
"Zhang Qi, if you continue like this, you'll never be able to beat Li Mo," Lu Li said. "You'll never be able to enter Ling Ge's heart, because the person she's thinking about right now is Li Mo."
"Now that the item is yours, the choice is yours. I just want to remind you of one thing," Lu Li said with a strange smile, "The living can never win against the dead."
Zhang Qi glanced at Lu Li with a complicated expression, then turned and walked out of the ancient tower. Lu Li looked at the moonlight and sighed. Life was so boring; it was nice to have these people to liven things up.
"Has the Shadow Cult set off?" Ke Su asked a disciple. After receiving an affirmative answer, he waved the disciple away. Now showing signs of old age, he tapped the table, a complex expression on his face. "This day has finally come."
With so many people from the Shadow Cult present, their movements were naturally difficult to conceal. Holy Sight Mountain Shadow Cult sent people to track them down and obtained their exact location. However, knowing their location prevented a war from breaking out due to the high cost of conflict.
Previously, Holy Sight Mountain had also sent envoys, hoping to engage in small-scale arena battles with the Shadow Cult, but the Shadow Cult refused to accept them all. Although several top experts were willing to go to the Shadow Cult's stronghold to carry out a decapitation operation, the Shadow Cult, a knowledge-based order, was most powerful not because of the number of experts, but because its knowledge was accessible to everyone.
Of the more than three hundred members of the Shadow Cult, only a few are truly powerful. However, even the weaker members can wield some shadow power, giving them the potential to overcome even the most formidable opponents.
Therefore, in comparison, after receiving reinforcements, Holy Sight Mountain had far more skilled fighters than the Shadow Cult. However, everyone in the Shadow Cult possessed some or two of shadow magic, which made the Shadow Cult's overall strength surpass that of Holy Sight Mountain. Furthermore, the Shadow Cult's high-ranking members all remained in their strongholds and refused to engage in battle, so the war never broke out.
"Are they really that easy to fool?" Ling Piaoluo asked with some doubt on the other side. The reason why the war did not break out was simply because the Assassin Order's reinforcements were always there, so it was reasonable for the war to break out after the reinforcements left.
"The help has indeed left, hasn't it?" Ke Su said with a strange expression on his face, it was hard to tell whether it was relief or pain. "I know my disciple, Li Mo would not give up this opportunity."
"Give the order. The war is about to begin. Have all the disciples prepare." Ke Su rubbed his temples to relax and said, glancing at his aged reflection in the bronze mirror. He gave a bitter smile; everything should be coming to a conclusion soon.
Meanwhile, Li Mo sat in his tent, discussing the upcoming battle plan with several members. Yao Ge stayed behind. After becoming the new High Priestess, Yao Ge assisted Li Mo in managing the Shadow Cult. The two became much closer, but they never truly crossed paths.
"The departure of those who came to our aid is most likely due to some problem, and we must consider the impact they have caused," Yao Ge said with some concern.
"But we really need this war, don't we? The Shadow Cult has been too complacent all these years. The disaster of that year created you eight officers, but since then, not a single capable person has emerged."
"The power of shadow can only be truly enhanced when accompanied by death and desire." A resolute glint flashed in Li Mo's eyes. "I also need to use this war to sever ties with the past, so that I can give you an explanation."
"Really? Then I'll look forward to it." Yao Ge's eyes were full of tenderness, but she couldn't quite manage to bring out the smile that was originally on her lips.