Ming Yue was nowhere to be found. Those who had been speaking with her before looked around for her but found nothing.
So, where could she have gone?
None of them knew where she had gone. Some believed that she had retreated in fear or needed medical aid. Some were worried and set off to find her while the others did not bother. It wasn't that they did not care but they believed that she would be fine. If anything, they'd rather her disappear for a little. The
It would be wiser to do so. Who knows what the Zuo Er and his fellow disciples were willing to do for revenge.
While that gray clothed young man Yu Ban had endured a bit of his anger. There was no doubts that Zuo Er and Yen Fen still wanted to punish Ming Yue.
The further she was, the easier it would be to pacify them.
But Ming Yue was not thinking about any of this.
After letting Yen Fen go, she slipped away quietly from the masses. She was not afraid of the Tao Feng nor was she hurt. Instead, she noticed something, something very peculiar.
Kuang Li had disappeared from Zuo Er's side, she found him sneaking away from the crowds. She was curious and believed that he was plotting something. Perhaps wanting to take revenge on Clear Spring Mountain.
She followed from afar, watching as he looked around for something, occasionally stopping to examine the ground or the plants around it.
"What could he be looking for?" she thought.
It was strange for him to just wander like this.
"It's not here. No, not here either. I shouldn't be too far from it either. Where is it?" he kept talking to himself, agonizing over this problem.
She could barely hear the words being muttered from him.
Kuang Li continued to walk through the mountain, moving through the forest until he reached the edge of Clear Spring Mountain's territory. Soon enough he reached the boundary of the barriers set up by the sect's elders.
"Stop! Kuang Li, what are you doing here?" an angered voice shouted out.
A group of disciples surrounded him with their weapons drawn out.
He didn't pay any attention to them and asked himself, "Is it here?"
Looking around, Kuang Li seemed to have spotted something and smiled.
"With that out of the way, Master Zuo's plan will work" , speaking to himself, he walked towards one of the trees.
"Stop, don't you dare walk any further!" one of them warned.
Disregarding their words, he walked until their swords touched his chest. He paused at this point and looked at them all.
"Do you really want to get in my way?" he asked.
Looking at them all, his face was expressionless. He eyes seemed to pierce into them, fear walked up inside them but they had a responsibility to uphold. At once, they attacked Kuang Li using a variety of attacks. Powerful energy welled up from each of them as they fought together. A group of ten against one and despite that, Kuang Li was in equal ground with them all.
Although they attacked together, it was unorganized and messy. Trying to attack Kuang Li was difficult enough but they must be mindful of each other and avoid getting into each other's way. Not to mention, they could injure themselves. Such uncoordination made it easy for Kuang Li to stand his ground.
Swords and sabers danced about as the ten disciples circled Kuang Li, showering him with attacks. A method that relies on numbers, all of them understood that straightforward attacks worked better than attempting complicated moves.
"I don't have time for this", he said.
Kuang Li defended himself, his hands had already begun to shine a golden light as large circles formed. A suction force manifested from his hands, absorbing the energy of each attack.
Kuang Li formed several hand gestures before pushing them outward. The golden circles that had been taking in all that energy turned into a mix of black and white.
A ball of energy began to grow, pure energy that radiated brilliantly. He raised it above his head before condensing it into ten small spheres. Each of them shot forth and wrapped themselves around the bodies of Kuang Li's opponents.
Trapped and unable to move, all of them tried to break it but could barely move.
"What are you trying to do, Kuang Li?" one of them asked.
"Don't get any closer!"
Ignoring them, Kuang Li strolled towards an ordinary tree. It was somewhat thin and weak, it might even die in the coming the months. Exactly how was this tree part of the barrier formation?
He examined it closely before putting his hand on it.
"Oh, an illusion", he found his hand going through the tree and waved about.
The image was unable to keep itself and dispersed into mist, revealing a golden flag. There was an ink drawing of two circles, one within the other and both had been bisected by two straight lines. Despite the simple design, there seemed to be some hidden markings on the flag. It seemed to glow every couple of seconds.
"If you disrupt the formation, the barrier will be destroyed..." one of them said.
"I know. That's the reason why I am here", he replied to them.
"You, you bastard. You've been part of this sect for years. You've been here before any of us and this is how you treat everyone? Do you have no shame?!"
"Hah, why do I need to feel shame? Clear Spring Mountain was just a step and you were all stones. I'm looking much farther than a mere sect, I aim for the apex of the world. When I become an immortal none of you will matter", Kuang Li stood beside the formation flag, his hand was ready to remove it.
"If you dare to remove that, the elders will be notified immediately. They will not let you escape so easily!"
"Of course I dare to break the formation! Do you know why? Because at the signal of the Junior Sect Leader, thousands of cultivators from the Tao Feng will surround the mountain. With the barrier removed, there will be no defense or tricks to prevent us from entering. We will force all of those old wretches to surrender and swallow their sects. Then I will have access to even more techniques and skills."
Those disciples were shocked, to think that the Tao Feng Sect would have the guts to attempt something like this. There were more than twenty high ranking members from various sects. There was even one from Heaven's Gate.
If this plan really succeeded, then it wouldn't be a lie if they become one of the strongest powers out there. But there were too many things to consider, such as how the other kingdoms may react. If the Tao Fen took it too far, they could risk suffering their wrath.
Even more shocked was Ming Yue, who still watched from afar. She wasn't sure what was going on exactly but, she did know that they were all in danger. Luckily enough, Xiao Yin was with her quietly flying from above. Hei Yue had gone off to another part of the mountain. Mostly because there were many people in the gathering that had been eyeing him for sometime.
Ming Yue quickly sent off Xiao Yin to go warn one of the elders. She ripped off one of the pages of her old manuals and quickly wrote some words before tying it to Xiao Yin's leg.
"Go, find one of the elders", she quietly whispered to Xiao Yin.
The little Star Owl flew off, leaving Ming Yue by herself. She did not want to move just yet. Kuang Li was just standing there, waiting for Zuo Er's signal. It was not the right time to reveal herself.
Too early and the element of surprise would be lost, if she was too late then...she could only run.