Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

It wasn't long before Ming Yue reached the Boundless Beast Forest. As the name implied, it was a massive forest filled to the brim with all sorts of beasts. The deeper one went in, the more dangerous it became. 

The Iron Citadel, which stood between the two clans and the Boundless Beast Forest, poured most if not everything into the forest. 

Unfortunately, the more they tried to push in, the forest pushed back. Every expedition would be met with countless beasts from tigers with six legs to giant snails with spiked shells. These creatures were among the hundreds of thousands of others seen to be strange and unusual. Most of all, many of them were hunters. In this forest, the strong did not rule the weak, the strong consumed them. 

And in this very moment, a group of twenty soldiers was all scattered around a single beast under the moonlight. Their freshly- made camp, destroyed by the beast, a man-sized creature, a two-legged serpent with the head of a rooster, a Draconic Ji.*

These Human Realm Soldiers, led by an Earth Realm Captain surrounded it. Half of them brandished their shields and swords, taking to the front lines while the backline had archers nocking their arrows. 

They eyed the beast, watching for any sudden movements. Some trembled in fear, others faced it with the experience under their belt. 

As for the serpent, its rooster head twitched from one side to another before giving out a terrifying screech. 

"Take turns grabbing its attention! Do not let it go after the archers!"

The captain yelled out as he wielded his own weapon, a spiked club that he wielded with two hands.  After shouting his commands, he charged forward and leaped up swinging his club in a slow and wide arc. 

The Draconic Ji stepped to the side, avoiding the strike only for several of the soldiers to stab its wing. Pain spread across its limb as it screeched out, throwing them back with its tail. Then it eyed the captain and moved forward, thrusting its beak to his chest. 

"Geh, I won't let you! Boulder Smash!"

He raised his club upwards as it was encased in stone and swung down, timing it perfectly as the club smashed the creature's head right into the ground.  All the while archers took shots whenever they could, managing to pierce the body several times. But in this dark forest, there was barely any light for them to see. 

"Kill it quickly! The faster we do it, the less attention we will bring!" the captain shouted. 

In pairs, the soldiers advanced as the beast pulled its head out of the ground, trying to shake off the impact. It stood unsteadily, trying to gain footing as the men and women slashed and stabbed. Knowing the danger they were in, they attacked as fast as possible. This was no time to pace themselves. 

Soon enough, its body was riddled with injuries and but the beast only screeched with rage as it shook off the pain. It spun around, smacking the captain and the other soldiers away before looking towards the backline. 

"Shit, scatter!"

The captain stood up, wiping the blood from his mouth, and swung while the beast was looking away. 

Pressing into its body, he pulled the club out, ripping away some of the flesh. A searing pain forced the beast to cry out as it turned its beady eyes back to him. 

The archers followed his commands, moving to different positions before taking aim once more. 

"Damned beast! Stone Giant's Protection!"

The captain seemed to grow in size as rock and stone covered his body in a shell-like armor. Switching to one hand, the captain stared the beast down. The eyes of the rooster head, glared at him as its beak was slightly bent from the earlier strike. Blood trickled from the numerous injuries on its body but still, it was alive and had yet to show its strength. 

He swung from the side only to miss as the creature backed off and stepped back in. But he was waiting for this moment, swinging his other fist into the monster's cheek and forced it to go down into the dirt.

"Kill it now!"

A shower of arrows came down skewering the beast all the while the captain wrestled it on the ground. It struggled to break free, attacking the captain and tearing his armor apart before biting into the exposed flesh. 

"Agh"

He flinched but tightened his grip on the beast, not allowing it to leave him. 

"I cannot hold him for much longer!"

Bleeding profusely, the captain changed his grip, jumping onto the beast's back and choking it from behind. 

But the archers trembled as they reached the last remaining arrows in their quivers. Trying to make every last shot count but fear gripped them. Even if they won this, there was no doubt that they had attracted unwanted attention. Even if they were to retreat from this fight, they would become prey. There was no option but to fight. 

The trees began to rustle as an owl and fox appeared, charging towards the creature.  The owl flew above it, bright white arcs of Star Energy cut through the air and into the beast's flesh. The fox was nimble, climbing up the body with the arrows as footholds. Reaching the head, the little fox swung their paw out, scratching the beast's eyes before retreating into the darkness. 

Blinded and injured, it was enraged and shook violently, throwing the captain off.

But without its sight, it could not see Ming Yue emerging from the trees and stabbing her sword into the body. She pulled down, cutting the joint that connected its left wing from the body and lopping it off cleanly. 

Not allowing it to move, the young cultivator jumped back before leaping forward, swinging with both hands as she cut the head off at its thickest point. 

In seconds, the creature trembled and shook before falling to the ground, purplish blood seeping from the headless stump. 

Ming Yue looked at it before turning around and gazing at the others, checking their condition. She then moved to the captain, bring out some of her salves and bandages. Expertly, she applied it in a quick and clean manner. 

"Wha-"

Surprised by her appearance, the captain couldn't speak before feeling an overwhelmingly cool and refreshing sensation from the gaping wound on his leg. 

"Are you all from the Iron Citadel?" she asked. 

"Ye-yes, we were sent here to scout the area."

Snapped awake, he quickly answered her, trying his best not to disrespect her. 

"Could she be the Fairy of the Moon?" he thought, "She does fit the description we were given..."

After dressing his wound, she went to check everyone once more before whistling for the owl and fox to come with her. 

"Are you headed there?" he asked, "The Iron Citadel is only a three days trip. Furthermore, there should be an outpost not a day away. If you are looking for Commander Nie Xia, he is further in the forest."

She then turned around. 

"He is not in the Iron Citadel?"

"No, the commander thrives in the frontlines and has been leading a force to both suppress Kong Zhi's men and establish more outposts."

"Is that so?" 

Ming Yue thought carefully. She first planned in cutting through the forest to get to the Iron Citadel. From there she could have gathered information about the Tao Feng or Hua Xiong for that matter. But if this was the case, it would be better into the deeper regions of the forest. 

Looking back to the captain, she asked a few questions. 

"Do you happen to know of a Gold Tusk Elephander or a Five Element Parasol? Have you or anyone from the Iron Citadel, encountered a young woman named Hua Xiong? She is a Light Dao Cultivator, skilled in healing and attacking."

The captain's eyes flashed as he did know a few things and what he told her was more than interesting.