Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Both of them were in one place, unable to move as one tightened their grasp on the other. They were both injured and their bodies were weakened. Ming Yue could've waited until one of them won but this was a chance she didn't want to waste. In this moment, she could kill them both at once. 

Unsheathing Drifting Sky, she empowered it, driving her energy into the blade and the gems began to glow slightly, strengthening it even further.

"This... might not be enough", she thought. 

After all, those two were body cultivators, their physical prowess were on a level of their own. To add on, Ming Yue had little experience and superficial knowledge on Body Cultivators. Though both mehtods of cultivating started at the Human Realm, Body Cultivating branched off into a different version of the Earth Realm and she had no knowledge beyond that. 

If Ming Yue wanted to kill them both confidently, she might need to use everything. 

"It may be excessive but, I have to take them in one strike."

She activated Pale Moon and the Changing Clouds Armor shifted to its battle form. Immediately after, she moved towards the two, quickly building up her power. 

"Phantasmal Wind."

The next moment she vanished and reappeared behind the senior brother. 

"Wha-?!"

Both of them had noticed her approach but were too entangled with each other to move away. They watched as her aura leaked out, a ghostly blue that which stuck out in this land of red. Her sword shined under the red moon and glowed of a ethereal light. 

Ming Yue was in the air, appearing just a few feet above them. As she dropped down, both of her hands gripped tightly onto the handle as she thrusted it into their abdomen. As soon as Drifting Sky pierced the senior brother's back, there was an immediate resistance as she pressed downward. The dense muscles tightened around the blade, trying to stop it from going further. 

However, the sword was empowered by Ming Yue, encased in a thin layer of sharp winds that moved continuously. Whatever flesh touched it was slowly grinded away. 

The two gems which further enhanced her strike had not only made that layer even more sharper but sent out sparks of lightning, singeing the flesh and shocking the body. 

No matter what, Drifting Sky dug deeper into the senior brother who screamed in pain. But his grip on Tie Ja did not loosen yet. If he was going to die here, Tie Ja would join him in the afterlife. 

The demon tried to break free, struggling to rip the arm off of his neck. 

"Are you- insane?! Trying to kill us both?" he yelled out. 

By then, the sword had emerged from the senior brother's body and began to cut into Tie Ja's body. The same pain that the senior brother felt, Tie Ja felt, but this time, it was much worse. After all, his body was strong, what could pierce it? 

This demon may have gone through many fights but his body had been cut very few times. His tolerance for this sort of pain was low, extremely low.  His screams were even more harrowing that the senior brother's. His throat grew hoarse as he tried to handle the pain but it was simple too much. 

For Ming Yue, the moment her sword entered his body, it felt like trying to pierce a stone with a toothpick. Even as the sword winds grinded away at the flesh, it was at a snail's pace. 

"Squall Strike."

She grit her teeth, putting more power into it as that layer of wind expanded and exploded in power. This third technique of hers was gruesome as the sword seemed to grow in size, mutilating whatever flesh or organ was in its path. 

The pain was so immense that the two men screamed out horribly. It was so loud and terrifying that the battle between the Yao and the other demons had been brought to a stop. All of them pausing and looking towards where the screams were. 

"That's where the leader is! Go!"

Tie Ja's men recognized his voic and immediately ran off to help him. 

"Don't let them escape! They will die here!"

Ling Xue pointed her flute at them, leading her clansmen to chase. 

The two groups quickly approached Ming Yue's location, throwing attacks towards each other as they ran through. 

Less than a minute passed before, they reached where the three figures were but only found the Senior Brother and Tie Ja laying on the ground. Their bodies laid dead on top of each other as the scent of blood wafted in the air. 

A mixture of red and blue blood puddled around their body, flowing from the large cavity in their abdomens. 

"Leader!"

The men shouted and they ran towards Tie Ja, flipping the senior brother's body off. His breathing was feeble but he was still alive, though barely. 

"R-run, get away from here..."

He spoke weakly, almost unable to utter those words.

"What do you mean? Who did this to you?"

They were bewildered by this sight. Their leader, the Ironclad King was near death, where his stomach used to be had become a gaping hole. His eyes were frantic as he grabbed one of his men by the shoulder. 

"Run! RUN!" 

Tie Ja shouted out, spitting blood from each word. Despite his warnings, it was far too late now. 

None of them knew it, none of them realized it. Stunned by the sight of Tie Ja, none of them noticed as Ming Yue's sword cleaved cleanly through their necks. One by one, their heads fell until there was only one left. It was the demon whom Tie Ja grabbed the shoulder of. 

He heard the soft thud of falling heads and turned to find his comrades dead. Each one of them stood up as if they had not been beheaded only to drop to the ground moments later. Blood spilled from the stumps of their necks and the last remaining demon could feel his blood run cold. 

Slowly turning back, he looked towards Tie Ja and saw Ming Yue standing before him. Her sword pierced into Ironclad King's body, ending his life. The blue aura of Pale Moon was still rising from her body. The Changing Clouds Armor shined under the crimson moonlight. 

"Yo-"

He whipped out his weapon but found his hand cut off as Ming Yue quickly disposed of him.

Looking around, Ming Yue noticed the Yao Clan and released her energy, returning to her original form. 

They all looked at her, having seen it from afar. It was nothing short of shock and those who felt doubt over her power now felt silly for thinking so. None of them could fully track her movement, only catching the moments when she made the killing blows. 

Walking towards them, Ming Yue looked to Ling Xue. 

"I've gotten what I needed to know. Let's go try the Heavenly Slayer's Trial."

She spoke as if nothing had happened and the others watched as she went back to the stairs. Ling Xue looked at her, feeling strange about Ming Yue. She then turned to the many dead bodies, finding the scene hard to look at. 

To some degree, she felt pity for them. 

"Let's go back."

Quietly, they all returned to the mountain and Ling Xue studied the stairs. After what she had witnessed, she had lost the drive to climb them but she knew she had to go. 

She focused, calming herself before taking that first step. 

Step by step, the Yao Princess took her time walking up and it didn't take long before she was a few steps from a hundred. It might be far from a thousand but it was closer than before. 

"The ninety-ninth step! One more and she'll reach a hundred!"

They held their breaths, praying that she would make it. 

Ling Xue took a deep breath and took that step. The moment, she stepped onto it, the Red Eyed Moon shined upon her.