Chapter 90: Cult Leader Shi

Popular recommendation: "Bright King"

"Greetings, Bright King."

Inside a large mansion on the outskirts of Haozhou City, Lu Li strode in.

People nearby saw Lu Li and all lowered their heads to greet him.

Once Lu Li walked into the main hall, the cult members in the courtyard whispered, "Every time I see the Bright King, I cannot help but feel my heart race.

Last time we fought the White Lotus Sect, it was the Bright King who displayed divine might."

"They all say the Bright King's martial arts are already no less than the Cult Leader's.

In the previous battle against the White Lotus Sect, the Bright King killed seven of their hall masters in the blink of an eye..."

"I am so curious what the Bright King looks like under that mask; it seems no one has ever seen his true appearance."

Lu Li stepped into the hall and saw seven or eight people already seated; they were all the core figures of the Ming Cult.

No one would have guessed that such a luxurious mansion was actually a gathering place for Ming Cult members.

And the thirty-first generation Ming Cult Leader, Cult Leader Shi, was sitting in the head seat.

Cult Leader Shi saw Lu Li enter and laughed heartily, "The Bright King has arrived!

Sit quickly."

As he spoke, he pointed his palm toward the seat on his right.

Within the Ming Cult, the left is considered the position of honor.

Cult Leader Shi occupied the head seat, and the seat to his right was reserved for Lu Li.

Lu Li nodded and sat in the seat.

Seeing him take the second chair as a matter of course, three people in the hall revealed smiles.

The other four, however, had slightly furrowed brows and showed expressions of displeasure.

One of them, Elder Hou, had a gloomy face and said in a shrill voice, "The Bright King has only been in the cult for three years, yet he has become the Cult Leader's right-hand man, rising faster than us old-timers. It is truly enviable, heh."

Opposite him, the old Eagle King Yin Peizhong said coldly, "The Bright King's merits were earned battle after battle; my own life was saved by the Bright King.

If you, surnamed Hou, had the Bright King's methods, could you not also rise quickly?"

As it turned out, ever since Lu Li arrived in Haozhou three years ago, he had been searching for news of the Ming Cult, and he had indeed found it.

Relying on his own formidable martial arts, Lu Li repeatedly performed meritorious deeds, and within three years, he had climbed to the position of Bright King, second only to the Cult Leader in the cult.

At this time, the Ming Cult was not yet divided into the Bright Left and Right Messengers and the Four Dharma Kings as in *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*.

Instead, under one Cult Leader, there were Eight Departments, consisting of four Department Elders and four Department Dharma Kings.

Among the Dharma Kings, the Bright King, Lu Li, was the leader and could be considered part of the new faction.

Seeing everyone arguing, Cult Leader Shi waved his hand and said, "The Bright King's merits are recognized by everyone; there is no need to argue.

Only when our Eight Departments work together can the Ming Cult grow increasingly strong."

"I called everyone here today because there is something I must explain to you all."

Hearing Cult Leader Shi speak, the group stopped arguing and turned to look at the head seat.

Lu Li was also somewhat curious: what exactly was the reason Cult Leader Shi had summoned everyone today? He only heard Cult Leader Shi say, "Recently, our scouts received news that the Tatars are already transporting money and grain; it is estimated that after the New Year, they will attack Xiangyang and other places."

"With the Yuan and Song killing each other, our Ming Cult can take this opportunity to recuperate. Once our strength grows, we can find an opportunity to overthrow the tyrannical rule."

"I plan to set off tomorrow to return to the main altar at Guangming Ding to practice our cult's supreme mental cultivation method, the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth."

As soon as Cult Leader Shi finished speaking, Elder Hou said, "Congratulations, Cult Leader, on your martial arts making another breakthrough; practicing the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth will surely take you to a higher level."

Lu Li also cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations, Cult Leader."

Cult Leader Shi showed a look of pride and said calmly, "There is no need for such excessive courtesy."

He smiled and said, "Bright King, you, along with the Eagle King, Elder Hou, and Elder Niu, will accompany me back to Guangming Ding.

The remaining four departments will stay in the Central Plains to propagate our cult's doctrines and accept the masses; when I emerge from seclusion, we will overthrow the tyrannical rule."

As soon as these words were spoken, the Eagle King Yin Peizhong and the other two Dharma Kings looked displeased, while Elder Hou immediately said, "Yes!

I will strictly follow the Cult Leader's orders."

"Wait."

Suddenly, Lu Li spoke up and said, "Cult Leader, I have one thing I do not understand."

"Oh? Please speak, Bright King."

Lu Li nodded and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, we all know the Yuan Court is brutal. Once the Yuan and Song go to war,

the common people will surely suffer. How can our Ming Cult retreat to Guangming Ding and sit idly by?"

"Now that the Song is weak and the Yuan is strong, after this battle, I fear the Tatars' iron cavalry will cross the Huai River. How many more innocent people will be slaughtered?"

"Our Ming Cult should look for an opportunity during the Yuan-Song conflict to assist the Song in expelling the Tatars."

"Even if we do not participate in the front lines, we can still intercept the Yuan army on the flanks."

As soon as this was said, the Eagle King Yin Peizhong and the other three Dharma Kings all nodded slightly in agreement.

Elder Hou, however, laughed mockingly, "The Bright King is truly joking. Why should our Ming Cult help the Song fight the Yuan?"

"Could it be that the Bright King joined the cult too late and does not know how many of our Ming Cult disciples were slaughtered by Huang Shang back then? Or does the Bright King not know the past and has forgotten how tragic the uprising of Cult Leader Fang La was?"

"The Yuan Court is brutal, but is this Song any better? We should do as the Cult Leader says and help neither side, letting them bite each other like dogs!"

"The more miserably they fight, the happier our Ming Cult will be."

Lu Li said coldly, "Is this how Elder Hou interprets our cult's Bright Doctrine? Do you not know that when it rises, the people suffer; when it falls, the people suffer? Could it be that you would let the people of the world suffer for your own selfish interests?"

"You—"

Elder Hou's face flushed red, choked by Lu Li and unable to speak.

At this moment, Cult Leader Shi suddenly slapped the table.

He used force in his palm, shattering a corner of the tabletop, and shouted, "Enough!"

"My mind is made up; there is no need to discuss this matter further."

"Dharma King, you, along with the Eagle King, Elder Hou, and Elder Niu, shall take your subordinates and accompany me to Guangming Ding."

"Yes."

"Yes."

The crowd walked out of the great hall one after another; Yin Peizhong and the other two Dharma Kings caught up to Lu Li and arrived at the branch rudder under Lu Li's jurisdiction.

Yin Peizhong said hatefully, "That man surnamed Hou truly deserves to die!

To think the Cult Leader would actually listen to his nonsense... sigh."

"Dharma King, what you say is correct: when the people rise, they suffer; when the people perish, they suffer."

Lu Li shook his head and said, "We had anticipated this matter long ago, did we not?"

Yin Peizhong sighed, "A real man stands tall between heaven and earth; to be this spineless is truly hateful!

Cult Leader Shi has also become increasingly muddled."

Another person nearby sighed, "If the Dharma King were the Cult Leader, that would be for the best; he would certainly be able to lead us to ignite the raging Bright Fire..."

Once these words were spoken, the room suddenly fell eerily silent.

Lu Li waved his hand and said, "Everyone, go back."

Yin Peizhong and the others sighed, turned around, and left.

After there was no one left in the room, Lu Li slowly removed his mask, and a trace of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"The three Dharma Kings are all willing to follow me; it seems it is time to unify the Ming Cult.

Actually, Lu Li had initially intended to find the current Cult Leader of the Ming Cult directly and, relying on his own peerless martial arts, force the other party to take orders from him.

But for the sake of caution, Lu Li decided to join the Ming Cult first to scout out the situation.

Very quickly, Lu Li discovered that his initial idea was wildly wrong.

This was simply because within the Ming Cult, from the Dharma Kings and Elders down to the ordinary cult members, everyone was a near-fanatical believer.

The doctrine of the Ming Cult is to punish evil and promote good, and to transform the world; they want to establish a Great Unity society where everyone has enough to eat and enough to wear.

Their ideal is extremely lofty, so everyone is willing to sacrifice themselves for the doctrine.

That is why they are able to say, 'Burn my broken body, the Bright Fire rages.

What joy is there in life, what bitterness in death?'

Words such as these.

This group of people are extremists harboring a utopia.

If any dynasty's emperor is incompetent and officials are corrupt, leading to the people's misery, the Ming Cult will inevitably rise in rebellion.

In history, there was the Fang La uprising during the Song Dynasty, and every cult member possessed a spirit of self-sacrifice that feared no death.

Although there are contradictions within the Ming Cult, when faced with the coercion of powerful forces, they never submit.

Do not forget that in the original work, when the Ming Cult members were besieged at Guangming Ding by the Six Great Sects and were on the verge of being wiped out, not a single person was weak enough to surrender.

In other words, they were completely unafraid of death.

The Jianghu is not just about killing and fighting; it is also about human relationships and worldly wisdom.

Therefore, Lu Li did not choose to suppress the Ming Cult with brute force; instead, he chose to start from the bottom and, relying on his formidable martial arts, gradually become the Dharma King second only to the Cult Leader in everyone's hearts.

And now, the time is ripe.

The entire Ming Cult recognizes him as the Dharma King, and the three Dharma Kings have even expressed their willingness to follow Lu Li.

And Cult Leader Shi has made a wrong decision.

Lu Li never imagined that the reason the Ming Cult was unwilling to intervene in the struggle between the Yuan and the Song was actually because of the previous affair involving Huang Shang and Fang La.

The perspective was too narrow... Lu Li flicked the horn on the top of the mask in his hand with his finger and muttered, "Since that is the case, Cult Leader Shi should also step down."