Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

The Cerulean Serpent's lake is massive enough to be called a small ocean, taking several days to fully cross. Travel far enough and there was water as far as the eye could see. It was certainly a serene place, quiet and calm. The surface of the lake was calm and unbroken, it was almost like a mirror. 

After all, this lake had nothing else but the Cerulean Serpent within its depths. Even then, you would not find it, especially if it does not want to be found. Flying over it all was Xue Yue, standing on her sword of wind. She stood there, holding her sheathed sword. 

She sped up as much as she could but tried her best to conserve her energy, soaring over the lake. 

"Ah damn, she really went overboard this time."

Xue Yue muttered quietly as she scowled at her other half. 

"It's one thing to get injured, it's another to just overexert yourself like this. I even had to push it further after escaping that trap you got yourself into. The meridians are a mess and so is the rest of the body. Ah, why even bother, you're not even awake yet."

She was annoyed, there was no doubt about that but at the same time, she wasn't very angry. In fact, Xue Yue took this as an opportunity to enjoy this little outing of hers. 

"This... might be my first time outside in the Demon Continent. How curious... This lake seems untouched by everything else, a beautiful, pure blue. What a nice view."

Despite her compliments, she did not dare come any closer. There was a bit of apprehension within her heart as she admired the water. It might've looked like ordinary water but it was dense with dragon energy, wild and powerful. The Cerulean Serpent had been bathing here for hundreds of years. Even the ores and gems grew because of it, greedily absorbing the abundant energy. 

"If I fall too deep, my body would probably be ripped apart by the energy..."

But as she said such things, her legs which were already feeling weak, nearly gave out. Xue Yue immediately stabbed her sheath into the sword of wind, steadying her footing. A moment later, it expanded with enough space for her to sit down on and then she crossed her legs to meditate. It was quiet, a good time for her to stabilize her condition. 

With Drifting Sky in her hands, she began to circle her energy through her body and through her sword. Closing her eyes, Xue Yue didn't notice the slight movement down below, a little ripple in the water. 

It was very small, unnoticeable even, but it happened. Something was there. 

But Xue Yue didn't care whether she saw it or not, she was more concerned over her body. Beads from sweat dripped down her forehead as both her body and her sword emanated with energy. 

This time Drifting Sky did not greedily absorb her energy but instead, imbued it with the energy of the two gems. Doing so helped to replenish her power and even strengthen it. Even then, the process was a bit on the difficult side. She had to repair her body but also maintain the sword of wind that carried it. And the backlash from Pale Moon was a problem as well. 

"As long as I don't lose focus, I should be fine", she thought. 

And soon after, Ming Yue awakened, standing in the colorless world of Xue Yue's.

"Wha- damn, I lost consciousness."

She cursed silently but that did nothing for Xue Yue heard it.

"Yes, and I came out", she replied. 

"What happened?"

"He's dead and we're going to save the children, just like you wanted."

Ming Yue looked at her confused, not expecting that.

"You would do that? Even after telling me to abandon that before?" she asked.

Xue Yue scoffed at her counterpart. 

"Hah, did you think I didn't hear all the crap he said? Bastard scum like him deserves death.", she answered, "And that girl, you promised her you'd do it. I know you, convincing you otherwise would've been useless, so I held my tongue. But after fighting him, I would want to save them as well."

Ming Yue relaxed, breathing out a sigh of relief. 

"Then, when do I get back control?" she asked. 

"Not now, I'm trying to repair our body to at least a decent state. Switching now would break my focus and that means that everything we do will stop. The healing process will stop and the sword will disappear. If you get back in control, you'll need to form a new sword while we fall to our deaths", said Xue Yue. 

"Alright then, but I'm getting back control once we're safe."

"Fine by me."

After discussing it, Ming Yue sat and watched, sensing the state of her body. 

"Ugh, I really did a number to myself", she thought, finally seeing the state of her body

Some time passed by before two things happened. Xue Yue opened her eyes and looked behind her. Several hundred meters away was Commander Zi Jing's ship, slowly closing the distance but a meter every few minutes. 

"The girl is on it as well", she thought.

But the second thing grabbed her attention as she took a peek below her. 

"This is..."

Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the lake surface. It was no longer motionless like a mirror but instead, there were waves. They were small but slowly grew more and more powerful. 

"Is it the serpent?" she wondered. 

The next moment, a large shadow revealed itself, swimming just under the surface of the lake. It swam past her before circling around, it was large, massive even. A long snake-like body that seemed to make the lake look more like a pond. 

It circled once, twice, before it shot out of the water. 

The Cerulean Serpent revealed itself with cloudy blue scales and a pair of white and black eyes. It stared at her curiously as she stopped in front of it. With that, the serpent absolutely dwarfed her, she was slightly larger than its eye. That was how big the serpent was. 

If it so pleased, the beast could swallow her and the boat whole. 

As for Zi Jing and Yu Zhen, the two commanders looked in horror as the ship stopped where it was. 

"That's the Cerulean Serpent... Why did it awaken?"

"Is it going to eat her? Can we even attempt to save her?"

Neither of them knew what to do, they were dumbfounded by this sudden development. Shen Varuna yelped in fear as the serpent emerged. She fell down in fear, feeling the strength leave her legs. 

At the same time, Xiao Yin and Hei Yue looked on with both worry and anger. But they knew that the Serpent was nothing something they could contend with. The aura it emanated was both immense and grand, befitting of an ancient and powerful creature. 

And the legendary creature looked at Xue Yue curiously, before speaking in an older woman's voice.

"Strange, how strange... You have the aura of a dragon on you, a very familiar aura at that. But you are human, very much so. I wonder why?" she asked.

Xue Yue was quiet, trying to think of something to say before finally speaking out. 

"You must mean this sword."

She held it out and unsheathed it, revealing the two gems on the guard. 

"These gems here were a gift from a dragon known as Xiu Luo Yang, Dragon of the Sun."

The serpent pulled back in surprise before coming even closer to inspect. 

"It is true, you do have his energy... How strange to think you would have met him."

"Do you know him?" Xue Yue asked.

"Of course, he is my younger cousin!"

"Your.... younger cousin?"