Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

As war horns blared out, Du Xiu charged forward as hundreds of cavalry and thousands of soldiers followed after him. Donning his silvery armor and raising his halberd axe, he shouted out, leading everyone into flanking the demons. 

"Aid Commander Nie Xia! Repel the Demons! Defend the Boundless Beast Forest!"

His booming voice reached through the entire battlefield. Everyone paused for a moment, stunned by this show of power. Even more so the appearance of three of the human commanders had put a stop to the demon army's momentum.

Elder Shu saw all of this and there was relief in his eyes but also resoluteness. 

Seeing this development, the Forest Keeper's titan-like body shuddered as he burst out with power.

His voice echoed out along with his energy. 

"Humans... My strength is waning so I cannot last much longer. This is the final act as the Forest Keeper."

His body of tree and rock slowly thinned as what were hundreds of roots became thousands, slithering through the demons and impaling into their bodies. 

"Blossoming Life."

Over a thousand demons lost their life as the last embers of Elder Shu's withered away. Slowly, his mind faded away as he breathed his last. His body grew smaller and smaller until there was nothing but a sprout where the elder stood. 

And finally, the roots receded, digging themselves into the ground along with the bodies they took. All of it became nourishment for the sprout that Elder Shu left behind. 

"No, the elder!" 

Matron Shuang's head turned to where the elder was, her voice carried a mournful tone.  Ming Yue broke her stare with Kong Zhi and looked as well. She sensed it, the elder was far so his presence was faint but she felt it. He was gone.

"How can I tell Hua Xiong? The elder has passed away."

There was a lump in her throat as she thought this. She knew it would happen but even then, it was hard to accept. 

"He's dead, don't let it go to waste."

Xue Yue reminded her of where she was and Ming Yue grabbed her sword tightly as she turned back to Kong Zhi.

"Pale Moon."

Power flowed from her body as energy coursed through every part of her. A ghostly blue color emerged from her, wisps of it rose out. 

Kong Zhi smiled at this. 

"Can you even entertain me? I'd rather fight your commanders than you."

His voice and calculating was laced with arrogance. Yanking the chain of the Hel- Fire Dragon, he flew off, heading for Du Xiu. 

"Get on!"

The Matron shouted out as Ming Yue leaped onto the dragon and flew after them.

"Get me close enough and I will free your child."

Ming Yue spoke confidently as she stood on the Matron's back and readied her sword. Matron Shuang glanced at her as she spoke. 

"If you can do such a thing, I, Shuang Qiang, will be in your debt.

Kong Zhi scoffed at them and turned back, punching out with his fists. Each strike created a shockwave that shook the Matron's balance. She was unsteady, trying her best to avoid the attacks. 

"Curse him, to think he had the blood of a Vajra Demon running through him. But he has yet to fully control his power, we still have a chance."

Slowly, she condensed her strength as Pale Moon's duration decreased. As she was now, she could use Pale Moon for ten minutes, multiplying her strength by ten times.

But Ming Yue only needed a minute, perhaps not even that much. 

No matter how unsteady the Matron was, her balance was not broken. Perhaps it was from the statues of the Lunar Executioner but her stance was similar to that. Her feet were firmly planted to the Matron as they came closer and closer, she was unshakable even as the ride became more unstable.

Her eyes focused on the chains that Kong Zhi held. 

When they were only fifty meters away, Ming Yue's breath slowed, time seemed to grow stagnant as she targeted that one thing. 

"I just have to cut it. Cut it."

Her eyes sharpened as her instincts screamed out loud. 

"Phantasmal Wind."

She vanished from her place, leaving wisps of her energy. 

"Whe-" 

Before Kong Zhi could even think, he heard a piercing ringing sound as Ming Yue appeared for only a moment. Her sword swung out, cutting through the chains that he held. They showed no resistance, sliced apart like she was cutting the air.

But Drifting Sky was nearly five feet in length, those chains were not the only thing she cut. Attacking from below, her sword was aimed up as when the chains gave way, so did the arm that held them. 

All of this in a single instant, a single swing, and Ming Yue vanished, landing back onto the Matron who saw it all. She then roared out to her child but that was not needed. 

This battle- scarred Hel- Fire Dragon felt the chains loosen, a sliver of freedom regained. Finally, free from the punishment and abuse it took, the dragon turned its heads back to Kong Zhi and breathed fire on him without warning. 

"No!"

Kong Zhi roared out in anger, holding the stump that used to be one of his arms. Losing his balance, he fell off, plummeting down to the ground. His body crashed into the ground in between the demons and the beasts of the forests. 

"Lord Kong Zhi!

The Roaring King, still fiercely fighting with Nie Xia noticed his descent and retreated. It was so sudden that the commander was not quick enough to stop him. 

Shi Hou charged through the battlefield before stopped at where Kong Zhi had fallen. 

"Do not dare attack the Lord or you will face my Oxen Emperor Rods!"

He shouted out loudly at the approaching enemies, human and beast alike. But of them all, Du Xiu was the one who stepped forward without a care.

"Kong Zhi, get up. You and I have yet to conclude our last battle."

His voice was different from when he was in his office, they were cold and beyond that, ferocious. 

Du Xiu was the oldest of the commanders but that meant that he had the most experience. More than that, he had the greatest presence. 

His silvery armor covered him from head to toe, it was different than the usual armors. It was not plated armor or chain mail but banded mail armor. It was simple but served to emphasize his build. He was not as big as Nie Xia and he was not thin. But his body was harder than stone, his muscles heavily condensed as of he was a body cultivator. 

However, his black halberd axe began to glow red as the Dao of Fire coursed through his weapon. His whole body began to emanate a harsh heat that caused some of the nearby grass to singe. He practiced the Dao of Fire like a normal cultivator. 

He had the attributes of both paths but that was the thing.

Du Xiu practiced both body cultivation and martial cultivation, a path few take and one that is incredibly difficult. 

This of all things was what made him so powerful, he had obtained high levels in both paths.

His eyes stared intensely at where Kong Zi had fallen, waiting for him. And the Vajra Demon did not disappoint. 

"Commander Du Xiu, you've managed to find some talented humans to help you."

Emerging from the broken ground, Kong Zhi stood up, his body had burn marks and one of his arms was gone. But that did not stay for long, in a matter of seconds, the injuries he sustained were healed and his arm returned. 

Du Xiu looked at him.

"So this is what happened when you were missing", he said. 

Kong Zhi gave him an eerie smile.

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