Stumbling back with an ashen face, Elder Li could feel his veins and meridians rupture from the backlash of Spiritual Qi. A mouth full of blood was even threatening to come up through his throat but he managed to force it back down.

Looking over at the two late-stage Core formation bodyguards, he was silent for a moment before he straightened himself then cupped his fist and said,

"Two young masters of the Wu Clan, I hope you can forgive me for acting in such a manner. I was out of line and wish that you would look at this from my point of view at my discontentment. To make up for my actions, as an Elder of the Crescent Moon Sect I hereby revoke our rights to enter the Pocket Realm in the future. I hope that this can appease any animosity you may have against us. However, I wish that you would allow us to enter this Pocket Realm before our rights are revoked."

As Elder Li's words sounded out, everyone in the surroundings was taken aback.

One minute this Elder looked like a lion ready to pounce on his prey, and then the next minute he became as docile as a cat.

What was happening?

The change happened so abruptly, the image of Elder Li releasing his cultivation base in an overbearing manner was still fresh in the disciples' minds.

They were staring at this scene with confusion not knowing what was going on, but on the other hand, the Elders in the surroundings on the same level as Elder Li had lights flashing in their eyes as they watched.

These series of events were too out of place. From the disciples ridiculing remarks to Longwei's response, then Elder Li's outburst and following words.

Maybe out of place isn't the right way to describe them, but instead, they were too inline, as if someone had manipulated the whole ordeal behind the scenes.

That mastermind had set up everything to reach this situation, where the Crescent Moon Sect had came into conflict with the Wu Clan through the patriarch's sons.

The whole situation looked as if someone had set up the Crescent Moon Sect to look like a villain.

People who had keener eyes than others were able to put pieces together, and come to this conclusion from watching series of events that had just unfolded.

Out of nowhere, a gruff voice echoed in the valley.

"Your rash actions against the young masters will not be tolerated. As an Elder of the Crescent Moon Sect, you represent your sect and thus your punishment will be the sect's punishment. For the next thousand years, your sect is forbidden from entering any of the Lesser Pocket Realms. Your punishment starts the next time any of the Pocket Realms opens."

Hearing that voice Longwei's ears perk up, he recognized it as elder Sun's voice.

With his head still lowered Elder Li said, "We from the Crescent Moon Sect accept the Wu Clan's punishment and are thankful for allowing us to enter the Pocket Realm one last time."

As Elder Li responded the clouds in the sky began to churn again.

Everyone looked in the air above the valley to see the clouds swirling around erratically.

Before anyone could register the sudden change, a long gash that looked like it went through the fabric of space appeared up in the air between the two mountain peaks that were on either side of the valley.

As the clouds churn above it, the gash that looked to be around a kilometer in length began to stretch and slowly open up.

The expressions on the disciples' faces immediately brighten up.

The tear in space that was opening up was the entrance to the Yellow leaf Valley Lesser Pocket Realm

Every one of the disciples' eyes began to burn with desire as they thought about the fortune that awaited them on the other side.

There were numerous stories of disciples entering and finding heavenly treasures in abandoned ruins, that could make even ghosts and gods weep.

Even long-forgotten cultivation techniques and Daoist magic spells from the supposed Immortal Era were found there, along with numerous other valuable treasures such as spirit herbs and precious high-grade spirit stones.

Safe to say they were practically drooling at the thought of entering, so much so they were getting antsy enough to just rush ahead and dive headfirst in there before anyone else.

As the tear in space open up fully, everyone could see a vast expanse of high mountains and deep ravines, with rolling majestic clouds stretching for miles on end.

It looked like an untainted immortal paradise, that would have been inaccessible to anyone if not for the tear in space.

There was even a strange aura that wafted from the tear to the surrounding disciples that further convince them that what they were seeing was a land of immortals.

Not only that, but they were also shocked to realize that when they inhale the strange aura their cultivation base would shudder and then greedily start to absorb more. As if they were a well that had been in the desert for years only to now come across a sea of water.

It was shocking, to say the least, some of them were even having a hard time trying to get their cultivation base under control.

As the disciples were marveling at the Pocket Realm, while tuning out their Elders' further warnings about the dangers inside, a sudden angry shout could be heard coming from a group of disciples off to the side of the crowd.

"LI SHEN YOU FUCKER!! IF YOU WANT TO DIE, I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN!!!"

Everyone's gazes turned towards a group of six, who wore yellow robes to see one male disciple pointing his sword at another. Strange thing was, the male disciple that had the sword pointing at his, looked calm and unconcerned to an absurd degree.

It almost seemed as if he saw the sword as a weed of grass and not as a sharp and deadly weapon that could split open his throat.

"You want me to repeat myself? Fine. I said not only did I fuck your sister, I fucked your aunt and mother as well." said the youth named Li Shen.

A howl of anger erupted from the other disciple before he coated his sword with his Spiritual QI and swung it down on Li Shen's head. As the sword flash through the air, the sound of the wind tearing apart could be heard.

Li Shen's face went pale as he stumbled back while trying to draw his sword to block the attack, but in the blink of an eye, it was already a couple of inches away from his throat.

Li Shen's face was completely different from a moment ago. Before he look calm and compose as if nothing could phase him but now he look frantic and scared of the incoming attack.

However, just as the sword was about to cut into his throat, one of his feet tripped on a rock as he was stumbling backward. And by some crazy luck, that trip caused his body to shift in just the right position to avoid the deadly sword attack by mere centimeters.

Falling on his back, Li Shen's face was ashen as he watch another sword attack followed in quick succession. Panicking he pulled his sword from its scabbard and clumsily swung out to parry the other disciple's sword, however, the strength of the other disciple was greater and his sword was knocked out of his hand.

Smiling viciously, the other disciple looked down at Li Shen cowering on the ground, and with a scornful look as he said, "You waste of a person dare insult me, your only looking for death."

Li Shen who was on the ground said with a trembling voice.

"Xiang Shi if you kill me the sect won't let you off, think about what you're doing."

Hearing that the disciple named Xiang Shi laughed uproariously.

Looking down on at Li Shen with a look of ridicule, he said, "Li Shen, after the stunt you pulled and offended our young patriarch do you think the sect would bat an eye if I killed you right here and now?"

Hearing that, Li Shen glanced over at the Elder who was in charge of escorting them and realized he wasn't even looking in their direction. He was ignoring what was happening as if it wasn't his concern.

Li Shen had a bitter look on his face as he saw that.

Xiang Shi's voice sounded again, "Did you think a dog like you with such a trashy talent could get a spot to enter the pocket Realm? It was all a ploy by the young patriarch to get you out of the sect. I was going to let you live a bit more, then kill you in the Pocket Realm on the young patriarch's orders. But since you don't know what's good for you and insulted me, then you can go right ahead and die!!"

As Xiang Shi said those last words, he raised his glowing red sword above his head and brought it down on Li Shen's own head.

The look on Li Shen's face was currently filled with utter fear, but, deep within his eyes, behind that facade, there was a look of ridicule and complete ruthlessness.

Unbeknownst to Xiang Shi and everyone else, there was an undetectable aura that was infused within his sword when it had made contact with Li Shen's sword.

As Xiang Shi channel his Spiritual Qi into his sword during his swing, the undetectable aura, as if it had received stimulation, awaken somewhat and assimilated itself with Xiang Shi's own Spiritual Qi aura and circulation.

It now became indistinguishable from his own and followed the circulation of his Spiritual Qi and headed right for his dantian.

This took a while to explain, but this all happened within a split second, and Xiang Shi was still in the middle of swinging at Li Shen, unaware of the danger.

However, just when the aura was half a second away from reaching his dantian, and his sword a bit behind, with one second away from hitting Li Shen.

A silhouette appeared out of nowhere and stood between Li Shen and Xiang Shi. With an extended finger, the figure stopped Xiang Shi's sword strike.

Immediately, spider web cracks appeared underneath the figure's feet and spread to about a meter in the surroundings.

The crowd of young elites, who had initially looked toward the sudden shout, but looked away with disinterest, had to swerve their heads away from the Pocket Realm opening and looked again due to loud gasps of shock from the ones who didn't look away.

And what they saw made them mirror the look of stupefaction on the ones who didn't look away faces.

Between Li Shen and Xiang Shi, Longmin could be seen standing there with a glowing silvery-white finger under Xiang Shi's sword.

Shockingly, Longmin had appeared dozens of meters away from his initial position to appear between two early-stage Core Formation disciples, and casually stop one of their attacks, with a single finger.

*******

~Fun Fact~

My favorite XianXia novel is A Will Eternal, by my favorite author Er Gen.

"One will to create oceans. One will to summon the mulberry fields

One will to slaughter countless devils. One will to eradicate innumerable immortals.

Only my will... is eternal!"