Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

His high pitched voice seemed to cause a bit of pain in everyone's ear. Like a screeching bird, he spoke with a certain squeakiness to it and it did nothing to curb Xuan Han's fury.

This older man had a head of hair, neatly combed and colored with a bit of gray. Shorter than his partner, he was bald and his face resembled that of a rat, a rat that has seen better days. Perhaps in his younger years, he was a strapping young man but time was not gracious towards him.

A small mole took place on the right of his upper lip.

Saying those words, he walked forward, noticing the pause within Xuan Han.

"Could it be that this one's guess is right? Has your Sect Master failed her tribulation?" his words grew louder and louder, reaching the ears of everyone around him.

A sudden effect could be seen on both sides. Those of the Tao Feng looked on with mocking smiles, some even dared to provoke the disciples of the mountain. Xuan Han was quiet and this only spurred on this rat to poke at his pride.

"Am I not correct? Junior Deng, do you think I am wrong?" the man looked back at his partner.

Brother Deng looked at him, "No, I don't believe so but perhaps, Senior Hao is wrong. After all, how could we ever know the situation within. Hmm, Elder Xuan Han, would you care to clarify for us?"

Xuan Han was silent, no one knew what went on in his heads. Senior Hao took this as a sign, a very good sign.

"Well, now you hear it. Your elder here did not disagree with me. What's the point of staying with Clear Spring Mountain? Your sect leader is probably forever stuck at the Earth Realm, maybe even crippled" said Senior Hao.

He circled Xuan Han with his head held up high.

"Now, we aren't here to fight this time. No, we are here to recruit."

Whispers and looks of confusion and curiosity were on the faces of the white uniformed disciples.

"Recruitment?" some muttered.

"Yes, yes. We are here to welcome you all into the Tao Feng. There's no point in staying with your sect leader almost crippled. All you have to do to join is to come to my side", Senior Hao looked at them with his arms crossed behind his back.

At a moment's notice, someone had joined them, a young man whom everyone could recognize.

It was Kuang Li who joined first. He came to Senior Hao's side. Turning back to the others, he looked at his fellow disciples, expecting them to join him.

Xuan Han was surprised, everyone else was equally shocked.

"Kuang Li... Why would you join them so easily?" one of the disciples asked, "You've worked so hard to become an inner disciple and now you're joining the Tao Feng just like that?"

The others shouted their disapproval for him. His strength was undeniable and he spent years training at Clear Spring Mountain. He turned his back so easily and they felt betrayed.

Xuan Han looked at him, unable to utter a word.

"Don't attack me like that!" Kuang Li talked back, "I live for strength and I knew long ago that the Tao Feng would become powerful. The sect leader disappeared just as fast as she reappeared. She's probably crippled by now. There was no point in me staying here anymore, the Tao Feng has more to offer than this god forsaken mountain!"

The moment he finished that sentence, a heavy fist came across his face and his body was thrown back from the strike.

"There is only so much I can endure", said Xuan Han, who retracted his fists back.

"So you were the rat, the mole" he said, staring at Kuang Li's crumpled body.

There was no discernible emotion on his face, only an indescribable calmness. But everyone could feel it, the raging force of his power, the menacing aura that came from his body.

"And for the rest of you...", he looked back at the disciples of his sect, "If any of you dare to turn your back on the sect like him, I will personally banish you from the mountain."

After his little threat, Xuan Han looked back at the Tao Feng, his golden hair rested on his shoulders.

"I do apologize but Clear Spring Mountain is currently not accepting any guests. If you cannot come back at another time then I will certainly help move you", he repeated his words again, this time it sounded a bit more forceful perhaps even a little threatening.

The two elders were at a loss of words. Xuan Han's actions had simply surprised them. Both of them hoped for a fight but to think he would strike one of his own. They did not think he would act so decisively. But Senior Hao quickly recovered from his shock, he looked back at Xuan Han with a smile.

"Oh, we will be leaving...", he walked towards Xuan Han, facing him up close.

There was a difference in their stature. One was a golden haired man with a cool expression and the other was a rat faced man, thin and perhaps an inch or two shorter than the former. However that was enough for Xuan Han to tower over him.

Behind Senior Hao's smile were numerous thoughts and emotions. Some sort of invisible pressure came down upon him as he walked closer. By the time he was face to face with Xuan Han, the pressure was more than suffocating. There was fear within him. Some sort of battle was what he had wished but with the way Xuan Han was like right now, victory would come at a rather grave cost.

But it wasn't just his anger that made him afraid but that pressure, it was much stronger than he anticipated. But it did not seem possible that Xuan Han could exert such power. Was there someone else helping him or was he merely hiding his strength.

From the corner of his eye, Senior Hao saw a figure up the mountains. It wasn't the sect leader but someone else. someone he did not recognize. But that could not be possible! The Tao Feng had collected all kinds of information about Clear Spring Mountain, even recruiting one of the inner disciples to act as a mole for them. So who was this person?

He looked at them, attempting to see their face but all he saw was a lonely figure that stood in one of the gardens.

As if sensing Senior Hao's stares, the pressure had suddenly doubled. He almost dropped to his knees from the sudden pressure. It was unbearable to him.

This wasn't something someone from the Earth Realm could muster, This was definitely the Sky Realm!

"Is that the Sect Leader of Clear Spring Mountain?" he wondered, "But how could that be possible? She had only just come out of her closed door training not too long ago."

"I would do as he says, unless you looking to stay here indefinitely", a voice whispered into his ear, gentle and aged like that of a grandmother.

He did not have to think twice before turning back and leaving.

He looked at Kuang Li before facing his sect, "We're leaving, quickly."

Kuang Li had recovered from the blow and left with the others, he rubbed the cheek that Xuan Han struck. There was a large bruise there and he could feel the emptiness of where some of his teeth should be. He looked back at them with arrogance, running with the Tao Feng.

Turning back to Brother Deng, he asked, "The deal is done, am I now a core disciple of the Tao Feng?"

"What are you talking about? You don't get that place until we take over Clear Spring Mountain. Until then, you will stay as an outer disciple", he said flatly.

Kuang Li was dismayed but there was nothing he could do, he had already shown his colors to his former sect. He doubted they would accept him again.

After answering his question, Brother Deng spoke with Senior Hao.

"What should we do now?" he asked.

"I had originally planned to break their spirit and take control of the sect from the inside out. This would've been the perfect time, but there were some factors that I did not account for", said Senior Hao.

"What factors? We have several years worth of information over them."

"That much is true, but there are still some hidden experts that we did not realize existed."

"What? Then what do we do now?"

"Don't worry, Clear Spring Mountain is too precious to give up on. The mountain itself is full of treasures. The sec Leader will probably give us more manpower to take it from them."

As the two elders continued to talk, Clear Spring Mountain was in a state of disarray.. After Senior Hao's words, news spread throughout the sect that Sect Leader Qing was crippled after failing to pass her tribulation.