Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

After the first few steps, she lowered her presence as much as possible, sneaking through the thick brush. The trees were tall and massive as vines, moss, and various other plants wrapped themselves around the bark. However, there weren't as many of them compared to the forest, allowing even more sunlight to pass through. 

The air was humid, making it harder to breathe. 

Not to mention the amount of grass, flowers, and the like, which made it difficult for Ming Yue to navigate through. It had gone to a point where she used her Zephyr Claws to cut through it to see where she was going. The ground was soft and a bit wet. 

The further she went in, the warmer it became. 

And the noise grew as well. 

From roars to screeches, Ming Yue could hear the humming of insects, buzzing and chirping. Leaves and grass constantly moved around, there were cracks and snaps all around her. 

It was easy to tell that she wasn't alone. 

Although she continued to wade through the grass, her senses were on full alert. It wasn't long before something tried to attack her. 

As the branches rustled, a howling echoed out as something swung down from the vines. It came quick, swinging out a fist to smack her but it only hit empty air. Ming Yue dodged it in an instant, disappearing from her position and reappearing behind her attacker. 

With the Zephyr Claws and Blood Moon, she attacked, slicing off the arm and carving into the back before going into the shadows of the grass.

It was a fast exchange but enough for her to get a good look. 

"A monkey... I think."

She watched it swing away, howling in pain as it dared not to come back. However, it left its arm to which the cultivator took into her spatial ring. 

"Was that a monkey or an ape or something?" she questioned herself. 

It was a bit strange, to say the least. 

Nearly the size of a man, it was nothing compared to the Savage Wolf. Its face was that of a monkey's, with black fur all over its body. But its arms or rather hands and forearms were large. And the fingers were furless and gray. They were much bigger compared to the beast's body and certainly its legs.

That in of itself drew out Ming Yue's curiosity. 

"How does it walk? Does it just swing on vines? Walk with its arms? Its legs?"

It was somewhat vexing that she didn't know how it moved normally but she let it go and resumed her exploration. 

"Hmm, it hadn't been even twenty minutes and I was attacked. Moving through the grass wasn't the best idea but at least I know the bottom line. That monkey or... whatever it was, is probably one of the weakest, a bit stronger than the wolves but that's it."

Making a quick analysis, she moved differently this time, flying from one tree to another and sticking close to the shadows. 

Although she wasn't here to cause trouble, it was important to learn as much about the Savage Lands and its denizens. But the further she went in, the stranger it seemed. It was a jungle but the creatures within were far from ordinary, far from anything she had ever seen. 

Even the Primeval Forests couldn't match up and she had seen fairies there. 

The insects varied from the size of a pinky to something comparable to a cow. Two wings, four, even eight, some had two little legs while others had twelve or even a hundred. And for animals, there was simply too much to absorb in one trip. 

"A boar with green fur?"

"That bird! Does it have two irises in each eye?"

"Is that a goat with nine fox tails?" 

"That's... a walking mushroom..."

By that last one, Ming Yue couldn't stop herself from taking a rest. Leaning against the tree, she hid within the branches with wide eyes and just utter surprise on her face. 

"This is much different than I thought. I mean there were wolves so there shouldn't have been anything too strange but... a walking mushroom?" she thought to herself. 

Right after that, she heard Xue Yue chuckling in her mind. 

"Really now, why are you getting so flustered over this?" the sword spirit asked.

"Hm, Xue Yue? You're awake?! What happened last night? I woke up and called out to you but you didn't answer me."

Now that Xue Yue was awake, Ming Yue had quite a few questions for her. And Xue Yue was silent after the bombardment but she soon answered. 

"I don't know honestly. When you started meditating, I felt really drowsy and fell asleep. I only just awakened when you attacked."

Hearing that, Ming Yue was without words but she soon understood. 

"We might be connected but we're still two separate minds. Xue Yue was affected but she didn't share the same experiences I did. So it's just me."

She was quiet to which Xue Yue spoke out. 

"You might've survived that battle but you didn't come out unscathed. You're hurt.. in more ways than one."

"I know", Ming Yue replied, "I just don't know how to deal with this. But for now, I'll have to push it aside. This is more impo-"

As she spoke, there was a sudden thundering in the skies to which scenes of the True Idol flashed in her mind.

"Agh, not against!"

Her eyes flickered open and closed as a fierce gale came down upon her.

What followed by an ear-piercing screech as she looked up to see a massive bird soaring through the skies!

She looked around to see all of the beasts running off, trying to avoid the fate of being one's food. 

With another screech, the bird flew down, opening its long, sharp beak and it flew close enough to the ground swallowing everything in its path. Tree, grass, stone, and dozens of unlucky beasts were swallowed whole just like that. 

It then flew off after having its fill, leaving behind a path of destruction. 

"I think it's time to leave."

Taking it as a sign, Ming Yue retraced her steps and went back to the Halycon Meadows. She didn't dare look back and left as quickly as she could. 

"If that were me getting chased, I would've barely escaped."

As strong as she was, today wasn't the day to test her limits. But as she made her way back, she caught someone's attention. 

"Who is that? They don't look like any Seeker, we know."

Lurking from afar, a group of four beasts people, all from different tribes, looked at Ming Yue's figure, watching her disappear.

"I don't know. What tribe are they from? Their clothes look strange."

"The direction they're going, isn't that the house of the Byakko Tribe's exiled?"

"Them? That doesn't look like someone from the Byakko Tribe... We should go there and investigate. With the Devouring Goose making its move, there's no point in lingering here. It'll take weeks to go back to normal."

The one giving out the orders looked at his team before turning back, facing the direction that Ming Yue had gone. 

"Let's go."

"Yes, leader!"

Together they moved out, running through the Savage Lands to go after an unsuspecting cultivator. 

Ming Yue returned to the house just as the sun was setting, entering it to rest. Minutes later, that same group appeared watching from the edge of the clearing. 

"Hm? Has the house been abandoned?" one of them said. 

"Abandoned? That can't be. This house might belong to exiles but they were former Seekers too."

"Then.. killed?"

Once that was brought, there was a stillness in the air as they all pondered this possibility. Was this what has happened?

Just then, Ming Yue walked out with her sword. 

"I know that you are watching, come out of there!"

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