Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Although they stood at the border between the Black Peak Mountains and the Four Season Forest, they could hear and even see small bolts of lightning come down from the clouds.

There was a reason why these were called the Black Peak Mountains, Originally full of life an beauty, these mountains were struck with disaster as the world suffered calamity. Constant storms and thunderous power gathered above, striking with enough power to shake the core of the mountains.

With each strike, they rumbled and when it could no longer endure, each one erupted. Spewing fire and flame, ash rained down from the sky and painted the peaks black. Lightning only served to make it a permanent feature.

Even after subsiding, the dark clouds and rumbling thunder persevered. As time moved on, the storms gathered to one point, that was Merciless Storm Peak.

Ming Yue gazed at the distant landscapes, this was going to be extremely dangerous. Although she stood at the outkirts of the mountains, she could feel the dense electric air.

Lao Gan inhaled sharply, "The Black Peak Mountains.... Deadly animals and danger is everywhere in those peaks. Though, it makes me wonder if any of these beasts are delicacies."

He was certainly afraid but he was excited, this was a place he has never entered until now.

"Let's go", Ming Yue walked forward, stepping into the mountaineous terrain.

She was curious as to what this place held.

Lao Gan grabbed ahold of the straps on his shoulders, readjusting the wooden backpack beore follwoing after her. Together, they ventured forward, traveling towards the first of many mountains.

The scenery was incredibly different from what they had experienced. There was nothing but cold stone, a sea of gray and the air buzzed with energy. If one looked closely enough, they might see a spark of lightning in the air. There was no open area but winding paths that revealed nothing but stone.

Everyone traveled close to each other, covering their backs. Xiao Yin did not fly for she could be the next target to be another beast's meal. Instead, the Star Owl rested on Hei Yue's back, keeping her eyes open and watching everyone's surroundings. With her sharp eyesight, Xiao Yin would be the first to notice any danger.

But there was little to see, they had yet to encounter anything, not even weeds grew here.

Even with everyone's guard up, they found nothing.

Then they heard something, the sounds of lightning, quick and sharp, followed by snarls and hissing. Several hundred feet from them, there seemed to be a battle in a clearing between mountains. They quickly approached, hiding behind some small boulders and watching the ensuing battle.

It was by no means a small one, there was a group of wolves facing against a similarly sized group of rabbits. These were no ordinary animals.

The wolves had gray fur and sharp eyes. Growling at the rabbits, their mouths revealed fangs tipped in a bright blue color. Azure sparks came to and from their fangs, a painful bite no doubt.

As for the prey they were hunting, the rabbits had pure white fur that stood on its ends. There was a horn sticking out of their heads, shining with a bright light.

As Ming Yue's group continued watching, she recognized the creatures before her. It was a gang of Lightning Fang Wolves and Huang Horn Rabbits, both were rank 3.

The two groups circled each other, waiting to see who would make the first move. If they were two ordinary animals, then the wolves would most certainly win. However, this was the Black Peak Mountains, a land of constant danger and any beast that lives here could kill.Suvival was the ultimate goal here.

Both sides did not underestimate each other, their bodies were ready and they were prepared to strike in a singular moment.

Then, a single Huang Horn Rabbit could no longer wait and its horn brightened as yellow lightning discharged. That bolt of lightning shot forth, crashing into the Lightning Fang Wolves. It was extremely powerful and cracked the rocky ground. While most of the wolves had dodged the attack, one was unlucky, becoming a crisp corpse.

That began the fight, for the wolves rushed forward with thei rjaws wide open. The Huang Horn Rabbits released the power from their horns sending off a ferocious wave of yellow.

Howling in defiance, the Lightning Fang Wolves summoned azure lightning from its claws and attacked the wave. Those that broke through rushed forward, clamping their fangs onto the nearest rabbit. Electricity coursed through the fangs and into their prey, those caught by the wolves spasmed uncontrollably.

It was a frightening sight, wolves chasing after rabbits as lightning shot at every direction. Burnt corpses and blood spilled ont the gray stone floor.

As for the onlookers, Lao Gan was shocked by the sight and he felt anticipation for what came after the fight. As a merchant he was always looking for opportunity, perhaps, he could collect the salvageable flesh from the bodies of these wolves and rabbits. He was curious as to what they tasted like and who would be willing to buy them.

Ming Yue watched with interest, this was a good time to study the properties of lightning. Fast and ruthless, rigid and pure, it was power at its purest form, unfettered and untainted. She watched the movements of the battle before her, studying it all.

With her improved comprehensional ability, she understood a fair number of things about the mysteries of lightning. Along with what she had read in the Martial Thunder Arts Manual, she was confident in practicing the Lightning Dao.

At the same time, she was curious about one particular thing, the color. There was blue and yellow lightning flashing before her. There didn't seem to be much difference in nature and yet the color was different. Why was it so?

Perhaps this, she would learn at the Dark Water Kingdom.

Moments later, the battle suddenly froze. Nothing moved for every beast looked towards the same direction, facing the mountains.

A screech echoed from one of the mountain summits as two large bodies seemingly fell from the sky. In an instant, the beasts below them ran off, leaving the bodies of their dead comrades.

What appeared were two giant monsters, locked in battled. Crashing into the ground, one of them laid half-dead under the powerful talons of a rank 5, Thunder Roc. The feasome beast screeched at its dying opponent, a tiger whose body was streaked with what resembled lightning. These marks pulsated with energy but it slowly lost its glow. The tiger bled heavily, one arm had been ripped to shreds by the talons of the Thunder Roc, its body seemed to have gone through a ferocious storm.

The Thunder Roc was not as injured, one of its wings laid by its side, unable to move. The neck had a deep bite mark and flowed with blood.

As the tiger laid there, its heavy breath grew quicker as the lightning marks on its body shined purple. A wave of violet lightning exploded from its body, launching the Thunder Roc away. It did not roar and struggled to stand up. But once it stood on its four legs, the tiger rushed the Thunder Roc, leaping forward with outstretched paws.

With its broken wing, the Thunder Roc could barely fly, standing on its feet. It shrieked with rage as it waved its other wing, releasing a tornado at the tiger.

The tiger attacked it head on, swiping the tornado away and clawing at the Thunder Roc. Purple lightning arced from its claws as it tore through the Thunder Roc's body.

Blood spurted from the strike before the Thunder Roc stabbed the tiger with its beak, digging into the sides. Both wrestled each other, attacking with all of their strength.

Everyone's thoughts disappeared and they had nothing but blank shock.

Compared to the battle they had seen, this was something on another scale.. But it did not stop there, for something else lurked in these lands.