Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Another pained scream came from within the tent and the surrounding crowd merely looked with a bit of dread. After all, who else would be in there but the Witch that caused those screams?      

None of them wanted to be inside that tent.      

And with each scream that came, Ying Yi's men did their best to restrain themselves. Even as their faces were stone cold, their knuckles were white.      

Perhaps it should've been them in the tent, not their leader.      

"You're quite tenacious, aren't you? Most would've begged for death by now."      

Inside, Zhi Jinguo stood in front of him as he was chained to a chair. There were no wounds on him, not even a scratch and yet sweat drenched his body. His expression was a mix of exhaustion and agony. Even then his eyes were still strong, they were still bright.      

He stayed silent, not breaking his stare from hers.      

"Hmm, interesting. You've come to follow us under someone's orders though it'd seem that you as well as the others are willing to die for it."     

She then raised her staff and brought it down to the ground. There was an audible thump before Ying Yi's body shook, trying to endure only to scream out again.      

"Physical torture is... much too messy, attacking the mind is so much better. And there are many mysteries with one's mind, their own sense of self. So much of it can be dissected... tampered with. But as long as your body is still in good condition, nothing else really matters."     

And then she cracked a smile, it wasn't very big but it happened.      

Seeing that was enough to make him shiver. Something about it was just unsettling, perhaps it was the deathly ill look that she exuded or the perfect white teeth unbefitting of an old woman like her.      

Ying Yi took slowly breathed, preparing himself for the end.      

The Witch raised her staff, ready to bring it down before freezing in place. Her smile transformed into a look of surprise as she turned around, looking towards the flaps of the tent. She then turned back at him, still having a somewhat surprised look on her face.     

"It seems like someone is here for you. Though I doubt that they'll be able to do anything."      

He suddenly perked up, looking at her before facing the tent flaps. There was shock but also fear in his eyes.      

The Witch turned away from him and went to leave.      

His mouth was open, wanting to say something but he held his words.     

He chose to trust her.      

Zhi Jinguo walked outside, looking at the surroundings. Having noticed her exit, the other five members approached her.      

"Have you found anything from him?" one of them asked.      

"No, he is more resilient which means that they were all ready to die but, it seems like someone doesn't want them to die", she answered.      

They shared looks with each other before the realization settled in.      

"Someone's come to rescue them? In that case, we'll find them, they might be easier to crack."     

All five of them immediately moved, sending down orders to their followers before preparing to fight. Suddenly, everyone was in arms, separating into groups before spreading out.      

"Hm, what's going on?"      

Ying Yi's men quickly noticed the commotion. They all looked at each other before glancing over at the tent where their leader was. It was an opportunity to escape as everyone else was distracted after all.      

But in the back of their minds, they were all curious as to what could've caused such a panic.      

As for Ming Yue, she too noticed the movement, watching Zhi Jinguo and the others carefully. Furrowing her brows, the young woman glanced over at Xiao Yin, whistling out. The Star Owl whistled back before departing from her side, flying up into the skies.      

"Hei Yue, keep close to me."      

Saying these few words to the fox, she pulled out Blood Moon before slinking back into the shadows. The night was near its end as the sun's horizon peeked out, it was getting brighter and brighter by the minute.      

Unlike the others, the Witch moved alone, slowly walking through the wilderness. Her steps were soft but the tapping of her staff came with a distinct rhythm, one tap every three beats. She suddenly stopped and looked around her.      

"I know that you are here. There is no use in hiding from me."     

She raised her staff once more, stabbing it down at the ground. But just as the staff descended, a sharp blade of wind came through, aimed at cutting its body in half.      

Raising a brow, the old woman suddenly leaped back, raising her staff up before the wind blade came. A ghostly blue blur shot out, following the attack with a flash of red in which Blood Moon lashed out.      

The Witch's staff began to glow a deep violet color as she raised it up against the blur. There was a loud whack as both weapons clashed but Ming Yue pushed her back.      

"This..."     

The old woman looked at her staff, noticing fractures on it before looking at the slightly glowing figure before her.      

"You... who are you?"      

They both exchanged looks before looking at each other's weapons.      

"For my own staff to be damaged, your weapon would have to be above the Divine Realm. Who are you?" the Witch asked.      

She lowered her staff, no longer using it to walk. Rather, she was no longer hiding the fact that she could walk with ease. Despite her hunched back and beyond pale skin, there was doubt that she was strong.      

Ming Yue did not acknowledge her question at all. Her only goal at the moment was the get rid of the staff.      

Her figure suddenly vanished from Zhi Jinguo's sight, reappearing right in front of her with Blood Moon, just inches away from cutting through the wood staff. The Witch retreated, pulling back as quickly as she could but Ming Yue was even faster.      

With her other hand, the Zephyr Claws formed and she grabbed ahold of the staff, snapping it in half.      

The Witch let go immediately, jumping back several meters. She looked at her hand, making sure that she was unharmed before turning her attention back to Ming Yue. Unfortunately, the young cultivator was nowhere to be found.      

"Hmph, you might have destroyed my staff but that doesn't mean that I cannot attack."     

Saying this aloud, she brought her hands together and clapped to a different type of beat. It was erratic, sometimes they were loud or quiet, one in a few seconds or multiple times within one second.      

As she did this, Ming Yue suddenly stopped, feeling a dull pain in her head as she listened to the clapping.      

"Is this... is this the Sound Dao? And a mental attack at that!"      

She quickly realized it, pushing out the noise from her mind. Using her Mental Force, an ironclad shield formed around her consciousness, shielding her from Zhi Jinguo's sound attacks. The Witch soon noticed, revealing a shocked look but she didn't stop from there.      

Her clapping grew louder and more erratic, battering away at Ming Yue's mind. But the young woman held strong, she did not spend her time at the Dark Water Kingdom for nothing. While she could just stay defended against the Witch's attempts, she could also strike back.      

Gathering the Mental Force within her mind, she formed it into a sword before sending it out. It was invisible and indetectable unless one was skilled in the arts of Mental Attacks. And the Witch was not an exception.      

Holding her hands wide open, she swung them closed, releasing a thundering smack.      

And there was a lull in the moment before she said something.      

"You, are you Shen Zhong's disciple?"      

Ming Yue suddenly looked at the Witch. How did she know about Elder Shen?      

Her face said it all and the old woman answered.      

"I was Shen Zhong's senior sister."