Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

With every passing day, the lightning strikes grew stronger and stronger. It had come to a point where each one was loud enough to cause the ground to quake. Like the toll of a bell, it kept going once a day, every day. 

It had come to a point where no one could sleep, not with that over their heads. 

But that soon became worse when the spirit of the Nuwa Clan called the two commanders over as well as Ming Yue and Xuan Yin. As the group arrived, they noticed that the fairies were all hiding within the crevices of the trees. But their bodies still peeked out, trembling in a bit of fear. 

But standing in front of the tree, they all cupped their fists and bowed. 

"Great spirit, what is it that you would like to tell us?" Zi Jing asked. 

The spirit formed her body of roots, stepping up to them with a solemn face. 

"I am sorry to say that the worst has come true. The Hundun Clan are creating another Idol of Chaos, this time, it is a True Idol", she said. 

Dread started to sink in when they heard this piece of news. 

"Then... what should we do?" he asked. 

Everyone looked to each other, not knowing how to respond. But the spirit of the Nuwa Clan answered. 

"With the state of the Nuwa Clan, we cannot fight a True Idol, a being closest to that of a Primordial. At least, not at its strongest. If you are able to weaken it enough, we can finish it off in one fell swoop."

Her face then turned darker. 

"But this task... it will be near impossible to achieve on your own. A True Idol of Chaos is dozens of times stronger than that of what you faced before. Our chances of surviving are slim. Those barriers and defenses that you've created... even with the support of the Nuwa Clan, it would not last long against the Idol", the spirit said. 

Everyone else's face turned grim after hearing that. 

"Prepare well, humans. This may very well be our last battle."

And then the spirit's body withered away. 

The four individuals all gave each other a look, bowing to the tree before leaving. 

"Do you think we can get help from the Cerulean Serpent?" Yu Zhen asked.

Ming Yue shook her head. 

"The Cerulean Serpent is still nurturing my sword", she replied. 

"Besides, I doubt that the serpent would help", Zi Jing added, "It is tasked with rejuvenating the world. Unless the Hundun Clan chooses to threaten the serpent, it will not do a thing."

He looked at Yu Zhen with serious eyes. 

"I've tried."

"I see, then what can we do?" she asked him. 

Zi Jing shrugged. 

"Shore up our defenses, call for as many reinforcements as possible. We need to injure it to the point where the Nuwa Clan can take care of the rest. We have to make the most of what we have left. But that also means that you, Ming Yue, you might be our best chance." 

Ming Yue nodded. 

"I understand but without my sword, I do not know if I can do much." 

She was one of the only people if not the only person to have been able to injure the Idol of Chaos. After all, she had been to the Merciless Storm Peak, accustomed and even absorbed the energy of the Primordial Lightning. That in of itself had given her a better advantage than the rest, one unique only to her. 

But there was certainly much to do. 

A single piece of news had been sent out to all armies, even the reserve that waited on the other side of the teleportation circle. 

Most if not the entire force of the Five Armies gathered in the Cerulean Fortress, arriving in ships. In a matter of days, all of the commanders and higher-ups were gathered together. Even the messengers of the High Council were there, among them was Di Yu, the Lord of Azure Souls. 

Ming Yue had even seen Commander Bi and the Guardian Fang, Hu Baihe, arriving in a ship along with several thousand soldiers. Even Ling Xue and the Yao Clan were here as well as other lesser-known clans and those from Clear Spring Mountain too.

Furthermore, there were other cultivators flooding in from the Human Continent. Many coming to lay down their life for their home. There were even a few evil cultivators among them, perhaps looking for an opportunity to further their own strength. 

Instead of gathering in a tent-like before, they all sat around a large table capable of seating over a hundred people. 

it seemed that ZI Jing had believed there to be a chance that the entire army would gather. Hence he planned ahead with the design of the Cerulean Fortress, making it one of the largest strongholds ever. 

Apart from five towering spires, the fortress itself was immense with dozens of floors and hundreds of rooms. There are even underground floors for storage and housing for soldiers. The facilities outside had also been expanded. There was the infirmary with three floors and a medicinal garden, the canteen, several training grounds, bathhouses, workshops, and much more. 

All of it was set up for something like this, enough space to fit thousands of soldiers. 

Now those with authority had gathered together, holding a meeting to plan a course of action. Ming Yue was among those present and of course, she was one of the topics being spoken of. 

"So you've heard it from us. The only way we can deal with this True Idol of Chaos is to injure it to the point where the Nuwa Clan can destroy it. We'll need to form a strategy with Ming Yue over there, who as you know had injured the previous Idol of Chaos." 

Zi Jing held a hand towards the young cultivator, who cupped her fists and bowed. 

"Apart from that is the Kong Zhi's army, the demon himself is dead. Though, most likely he has been given to the Hundun Clan to become their new Idol of Chaos. The army itself is hundreds of thousands. Among other things, these are the main two crises that we face. With that, we have to properly prepare. Thoughts?" 

Having explained the gist of the situation, he waited for everyone to absorb it and speak themselves. 

Moments later, Gao Ri, the winged demon Commander of Demon's Gate spoke. 

"You talk of injuring the Idol of Chaos but how can we injure it exactly? This one is dozens of times stronger so she will certainly not be enough", he said, pointing at Ming Yue.

"So is there a method? Even some way to get her to reach it?" Gao Ri asked. 

"I am currently thinking of one", Zi Jing replied, "Most likely, we'll have to create some sort of treasure or artifact to shield her from the Idol of Chaos." 

"I see."

Du Xiu then spoke. 

"The biggest problem is the Idol of Chaos. If we're going to form a force that can combat it, Ming Yue is going to be in it. But we will need someone to endure its attacks as well as those to support them. Those with the strongest affinities for the Lightning Dao and the Earth Dao should be a part of it. Even more so if they also have strong defensive capabilities."

Everyone nodded to this.

With the Idol of Chaos being composed of Primordial Lightning, having those of the Lightning Dao fight was obvious. And the Earth Dao was a natural weakness for the Lightning Dao, they can disperse and endure its attacks but easier than others. 

But Du Xiu was not finished with his words yet. He added in one more detail. 

"I will also be joining this force."

As soon as he spoke those words, everyone looked at him in surprise, turning to each other even. 

"Although Kong Zhi is now dead.. For him to be resurrected as the Idol of Chaos, that is just unfinished business to me."