Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

0The Sword Emperor seemed hesitant but took the cup, allowing Minister Wang to pour him a drink.      

"Now this here is quite a special drink, plum wine that's been aged over a hundred years! The plums used to make it had been frozen within the Lake of Tengliu for a dozen winters, giving it a new depth of flavor."     

The minister chuckled as he placed the gourd down between them.      

Master Jing raised a brow whilst looking at him, looking rather impressed.      

"Wine created using the Lake of Tengliu? What kind of madman would do such a thing there? That place is a death trap in of itself."     

Minister Wang just smiled while looking back.      

"Ah, but you've heard of this particular madman. A lover of wine who excels at the Dao of Ice!"     

"Could it be the Northern Drunkard then? I didn't realize he makes wine but if it's him, that is understandable", Master Jing replied.      

"Heh, you don't understand just how difficult it was trying to get this from him. He only made one batch of this stuff and all I could get was this gourd from him."     

Minister Wang grabbed it, taking a sniff from the gourd's spout.      

"It truly was worth the effort to get. This sort of sweetness is one of a kind. It's mellow and smooth, you can barely taste the harshness of the alcohol! But it's a strong drink! Just a sip can get most people drunk."     

He spoke with such enthusiasm that not even the Sword Emperor could keep a straight face. He cracked a smile, taking a sip of the wine.      

"This is good wine. Maybe the next time I see him, I should get a jar of it myself."     

The minister cackled and slapped his knee.      

"Ahahahah! That would make a great story! Now then you must tell me, what was it like fighting a True Dragon? I hear it was a fantastic battle! The clash of your blade and its fangs, the sheer power of it all, even seeing it in person would be a dream."     

He leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with curiosity and anticipation.      

Meanwhile, Master Jing rubbed his chin.      

"That fight... it was quite a long time ago but I would never forget a battle like that."     

Suddenly a shadow flew over everyone, including Ming Yue. Her eyes snapped up to the sky but she saw nothing. Nevertheless, an ominous feeling slowly arose from within.      

"Back then, I felt like I had become powerful, far too powerful. My opponents barely lasted a hundred moves against me. And well, fighting against beasts didn't require much effort either. So I had started traveling the world, searching for suitable opponents."     

A shadow flew over them again and this time, Ming Yue didn't miss it.     

"I was crossing through the mountains. Similar to this only the path was more treacherous. And on my way there, I noticed something fly over me. It was swift and I could barely catch it with my eyes. Then It came a second time and I saw it, a glimpse of a dragon."     

As he finished speaking, the shadow slowed and loomed over Ming Yue. She looked up, taking out Blood Moon and the Black Blade.      

A pair of golden eyes looked down at her, a gaze that showed only hostility.      

"It was large, over a hundred times larger than this carriage. It had six legs, each one with four claws. Three sets of horns grew out from the top of its head and its whiskers fluttered in the air. Its scales were almost silvery", Master Jing described.      

"It stopped before me, staring at me as if I was nothing more than a bug it could squash. And that was when I decided to fight it head-on."     

Suddenly the carriage as well as those on it faded into dust, leaving only Ming Yue with the True Dragon on this empty mountain path. But Master Jing's voice echoed throughout the area, she could still hear him clearly.      

"It almost wanted to laugh at me for trying to stand my ground but in that moment, I leaped forward and sliced its scales, leaving a flesh wound on the beast's body!"     

As if responding to those words the True Dragon rushed forward! Opening its jaws wide, the beast wanted to swallow her whole!     

Ming Yue jumped forward, sticking Blood Moon into the gaps of its fangs and pivoting herself to the side. She thrusted the Black Blade only for it to bounce back, barely chipping away at the scales.     

"Damn it", she cursed out loud, "To think it'd bounce off like that. Would it be better to make a single decisive blow?"     

Loosening Blood Moon from the dragon's fangs, she dropped down to the mountain and looked back up, watching the beast circle around.      

"If anything, now is the time to use me to my full potential", Senior Zhen reminded her.      

"Right."     

Ming Yue remembered that a Weapon Spirit was characterized by what it excels in and for the Black Blade, its specialty was cutting. Now that she was at the Heaven Realm, she could muster all of the blade's power.      

With both blades in hand, the young cultivator watched for the True Dragon closely, waiting for it to come to her. Her eyes glowed with power as she used Pale Moon, boosting her power tremendously.      

Eyeing her, the beast came rushing at her, stretching one of its claws out. As the gap between them shortened, she leaped up, parrying the claw strike with both swords. Though she couldn't stop the impact, Ming Yue used it to her advantage, launching herself over the dragon!     

As the dragon's body flew below her, both swords hummed with power. The Black Blade especially was encased in a stygian aura.      

Eyeing the beast, she waited until the thickest part of its body was right below her before striking.      

The Black Blade struck first, giving off a quiet hum. The immediate space was suddenly sliced in half, revealing the black void. But it started to expand and grow, warping the space until it reached the True Dragon.      

The beast was slowed as its body was twisted, the scales cracked under such pressure before getting cut apart by the void slash.      

It was a powerful blow but certainly not enough to stop a true Dragon. However, Ming Yue wasn't finished just yet!     

Blood Moon came next, releasing an iridescent arc of energy from Waning Moon. Just as the beast released itself, the attack struck it right in the open flesh, cutting deep.      

It cried out in pain before flying back and turning to glare at her.      

Master Jing continued his story.      

"It soon learned that I was someone not to be trifled with and that was when it decided to treat me like a real threat. Its strength lied in the power of wind and lightning, conjuring a pair of swords made from those very things! That was when things had become serious."     

As he spoke, the sky above them darkened before flashing with lightning! Powerful wind gathered as the True Dragon raised its frontmost claws, holding them as swords of wind and lightning formed in its grasp.      

The air changed, turning restless from the sheer power of it. Ming Yue could feel the pressure coming off of this beast.      

"Could I do this?" she thought to herself, "I've fought a dragon but I've never won against one."     

She wasn't entirely sure of herself but she had to try.      

Tightening her grip on both swords, the woman hovered in the air, waiting for the dragon to strike. Even if it was powerful, she injured the beast and that meant that she had a chance.      

The True Dragon snarled at her before sweeping the air with both swords, waving them with some semblance of swordsmanship. They arced wildly, anything close by would get struck by dozens of tendrils, turned to ash.      

But this was wind and lightning, it was also her Dao.