Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

But in her mind, she knew it was far too soon to undergo this tribulation. The timing wasn't right. Then again, nothing seemed quite right at this time. Days passed with no change in the skies, everyone would glance up every now and then, waiting, watching. And yet, the Hundun Clan had yet to come.

At least a few weeks, nearly a month of time had gone by but the supposed clan never came. 

The Cerulean Fortress was completed at this point.

The infirmary had a blossoming medicine garden. The storehouses were filled with minerals while every soldier's equipment had been upgraded. All of this preparation for a battle that never came. There were scouts everywhere, ready to alert the fortress at a moment's notice. The time for Ming Yue to retrieve her blade grew closer and closer.. 

But that begged the question, where was the Hundun Clan now?

Even reports from the North Fort stated that all signs of them living in the northwestern mountains were gone. The swirling pool of Primordial Lightning was gone, no longer churning above the mountains. In fact, the very mountains they resided in were gone, uprooted from the ground. They had simply disappeared. 

For the two commanders of the Cerulean Fortress, such an answer was more than troubling. 

"That's impossible! Where could they have gone?" 

Zi Jing read those very reports, putting two fingers to the side of his head and rubbing his temple.

"How could an entire clan just up and vanish like that?" He questioned aloud. 

This genius of a man didn't understand. But his fellow commander, Yu Zhen didn't seem as frustrated as him. 

"Wherever they went, at least they aren't here", she replied, "More time for us to prepare."

Zi Jing looked at her and sighed. 

"That just makes it even worse. They should've come as soon as possible after losing their Idol of Chaos. But for them not to, it worries me as to what they have in store."

 Putting the reports down, he stood up and looked at the map on the walls. 

"To make matters even worse, Du Xiu fought with Kong Zhi and nearly had that damn demon. Isn't this the third time?! Is Kong Zhi a cockroach or something? Always managing to escape death at the last moment!"

Zi Jing had nothing but complaints coming out of his mouth. He was wide-eyed and practically in a manic state. Something that his fellow commander clearly saw. 

"You need to rest. I don't think you've actually slept in the past several days, maybe weeks even", she said. 

He turned to face her, slumping his shoulders before taking a seat. 

"Hah, I know, I know, but they could attack at any moment. We've completed the fortress but our work is far from finished. How will we-"

Before he could even finish a heavy pressure fell upon everyone! More than that, thunder and lightning struck all around the Cerulean Fortress. The two commanders rushed out and looked up at the sky only to see the somewhat cloudy sky be replaced by the churning clouds of electric fury.

Two bangs resounded through the air and a pair of mountains dropped down from the swirling sky. One just north of it and one south, both of them were placed right next to the fortress. The distance between them was less than a hundred meters and they represented Zi Jing's worst fears. 

The Hundun Clan didn't just bring themselves, they brought everything. The entire clan had essentially relocated as their neighbors, the difference being that these neighbors were out for blood. 

What followed after was absolute chaos as everyone on the fortress rushed around.

As sudden as this was, they all knew what to do, manning the defenses and preparing for the oncoming battle. Then a chariot of lightning descended from the clouds as hundreds of the Hundun Clan's members followed suit. 

They all came down before floating right above the barriers, looking down at the fortress. 

Everyone was in position, brandishing their weapons and looking up at them. Despite the various barriers, it wasn't enough to weaken the pressure that everyone felt. Those swirling clouds were the source of the Hundun Clan's strength after all. It wasn't just the weight of its power but the lightning that continued to strike down at random.

They all waited for the Hundun to make their move however those little balls of lightning were unmoving, gazing down at the Cerulean Fortress. 

Suddenly, they scattered, exploring the area and gathering at the places where the Idol of Chaos was struck down and lost. Moments passed before they came together again and a collection of their distorted voices echoed out. 

"WHERE IS THE IDOL OF CHAOS?!" they asked.

Zi Jing then walked forward and looked directly at the lightning chariot. 

"It's gone!" he shouted, "We don't know where it went!"

There was a pause of silence before a thundering crack resounded from the blackened skies. 

"LIES! LIES! OUR CHAMPION WAS TAKEN FROM US! THE IDOL HAS BEEN LOST! SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!"

The distorted voices all screamed out in anger and rage. The air suddenly grew heavier and began to buzz as power gathered within the churning clouds. Before they released their attack, the crisp sound of a ringing bell echoed throughout, suddenly easing the heavy pressure. 

The source of it was Ming Yue, who had seen it all unfold and prepared the Mending Heaven's Bell.

She continued to ring it, producing waves of a calming power. As for the Hundun Clan, they immediately backed away, scattered about by the sound. 

Screams echoed out as the attack they had prepared was broken. The churning clouds slowed and the gathered power was gone. 

"THE NUWA CLAN! THE NUWA CLAN! WE SEE THE REASON NOW! THE LOSS OF OUR IDOL! THIS IS FAR FROM FINISHED! WE WILL WAIT FOR THE NUWA TO COME AND WE WILL DESTROY YOU BOTH!"

They continued to falter before retreating, going back to the mountains they planted. And in doing so, Ming Yue no longer rang the bell but the calming aura stayed, pushing back against the heavy pressure. 

However, the situation wasn't any better. 

The two commanders surveyed their surroundings, looking at the mountains and the sky above them. 

"We won't be able to come in or out at this point. We're practically sitting ducks until the Nuwa Clan comes", said Yu Zhen.

Zi Jing breathed heavily, wiping off the sweat from his brow. 

"Yes, but we only need to wait a day or two to come. Until then, we have to wait."

"I'm just worried about our forces... With this kind of pressure, they are bound to break." 

"I know, the suspense is damning to them. Their minds may not be strong enough."

And for Ming Yue, it felt as if she was back at the Merciless Storm Peak again. Even after she used the bell, lightning continued to crack and thunder down. Sometimes, they'd hit the fortress's barrier, other times, they'd strike at the lake itself. 

It seemed that no matter what, the Hundun Clan was here to stay.

This news quickly spread around and for the armies of Kong Zhi, this was a difficult piece of information.

"For the elusive Hundun Clan to move everything to that human fortress down there, it seems that losing the Idol of Chaos had incurred the worst of their wrath", said Huo Shen

This time, all of the Kings and Queens gathered around a table with Shi Hou seated at the front. The Roaring King seemed to be at a loss for words.

"This..." 

He wasn't sure what to say, not even knowing what to think. The demon looked at all of his comrades before sighing. 

"What do you all suggest we do?" he asked them. 

They were all quiet until Shiji Wu rubbed his chin and looked at Shi Hou. His eyes showed a hint of calculation as he spoke. 

"There is something we could do."