Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Strangely, she felt calm and unanxious. Whether or not she was worried, the battle would still come. Ming Yue took a deep breath and breathed out. Rather than push the doubt down and swallow it, she let it out. To some degree, she felt clarity within her mind and a certain lightness to her body.

"That was refreshing." she thought. 

And she spent the rest of the night gazing out into the lake. 

Hei Yue and Xiao Yin soon joined her, cuddling next to her and burying their body into her arms. For that night, there was a peaceful lull for everyone in the fortress. 

But for Hundun Clan, the time was drawing near. In this mountain, this mysterious home of theirs, a stone bed laid at the peak of the mountains. The entire Hundun Clan was present, circling around Kong Zhi's body. These little sprites of lightning were prostrated in the air, praying and chanting towards the skies above. 

"WITHIN THE CHAOS LIES THE TRUTH OF THE HEAVENS! IT SHALL BE BROUGHT FORTH BY THE HUNDUN! WE OF THE CLAN CALL OUR PREDECESSOR! IDOL! GOD! DEITY! SUPREME! THE WORLD WILL BE DESTROYED AND REMADE! THE TRUTH WILL BE SHOWN! CHAOS WILL RETURN!"

The clouds churned but unlike all of the other times, it seemed quite weak. The power it once held slowly drained away. The heavy pressure had been reduced to almost nothing. 

Slowly but surely, its power gathered and the clouds began to snap and crackle. Another lightning bolt started to form, preparing to strike down Kong Zhi's body. 

As for the sacrifice himself, his appearance had changed drastically. Any semblance of the person he once was had been lost. His skin was pale and clear. The veins in his body pulsed with a glowing black light. 

His face was emotionless as markings covered every inch of his skin. They branched to all of his limbs, resembling that of lightning. It seemed as if all of his work, the time spent collecting his power, his effort, was gone just like that. It was replaced by the Primordial Energy of the Hundun. 

Soon enough, the chanting stopped as every member of the clan looked up into the sky. 

At this moment, the clouds grew to their strongest and the wind picked up. A light shined in the middle of it, glowing back and white as it suddenly came down, a lightning strike so powerful that the stone bed cracked under the force of it. 

All of the power in that strike crashed into Kong Zhi's body, every part of him trembled and convulsed as it entered his chest. But this all happened in an instant. 

Once it ended, the unexpected had happened. For once, the skies above the mountain were clear, you could see the moon and the stars above you. The stirring clouds were gone, that heavy pressure had vanished, the primordial energy was nowhere to be seen. 

But of course, it didn't just vanish into thin air. No, all of that power found a new home within Kong Zhi. 

With that final stroke of lightning, his body trembled as it immersed itself into his veins and muscles. Suddenly his eyes opened, revealing pitch-black irises and glowing pupils. The chaotic energy of the lightning made itself known through those eyes.

"THE PROCESS IS NEARLY COMPLETE! THERE IS ONLY THE FINAL STEP!"

Every member of the Hundun Clan slowly moved towards the broken stone bed. Kong Zhi still laid there motionless but his mouth opened. And one by one they entered through his mouth, merging with his mind. 

"ONE BY ONE WE ENTER THE IDOL OF CHAOS! OUR SACRIFICE WILL COMPLETE THE PROCESS! OUR LIVES WILL GIVE NEW BREATH TO THE ONE TRUE BEING!"

Each and every one of them waited for their turn, entering his body one by one. 

And with the disappearance of those wicked clouds, it stood as a signal to every being there. 

"Prepare for war! The Hundun Clan is nearly finished!"

Shiji Wu's voice shouted out as he looked up at the sky. His eyes glimmering with anticipation as he moved to mobilize his forces. Every other King and Queen did the same, except for Revenant Lord for he deals with the dead. 

And this battle would certainly provide him with that. 

The last to make his appearance was Shi Hou but it was for a good reason. As the Roaring King left one of the bigger tents, he made a heavy thump with each step he made. Walking out, every demon couldn't help but stop to look at him. 

He was covered in armor from head to toe, even wearing a helmet that had its own horns. It wasn't well-made armor or rather unpolished. There was no sheen or decor or even style to what he wore. It was rough as if all of the metal available was smashed together and melted into a heaping mountain. 

The only things that could be made out were the horns and his limbs. Outside of that, this armor was thick and immense, the weight of it would put Nie Xia's armor to shame. 

If it were anyone wearing it, they'd be unable to move an inch, rather they'd be crushed by the weight. Even if ten men were to try to move it, they'd find it nearly impossible. And yet, Shi Hou took each step in stride, a testament to his strength. 

Grabbing everyone's attention, he marched to the front of this army where these five clan heads looked to him. 

His eyes peeked through the little slits of his helmet, gazing at everyone. And then his booming voice made an entrance.

"This is it! The final battle! With this the sacrifices that have been made on this warpath will culminate here! On this very battlefield!"

The Roaring King made full use of his voice! It echoed throughout the mountain, even spreading to the ears of the Cerulean Fortress. He looked towards that very fortress and pointed at it. 

"The humans have all gathered there! That is without a doubt for they know that this is the final battle! They are prepared to put their lives down just as we are prepared! But know this! What we have sacrificed is greater than what they have! Their suffering barely even amounts to what we have lived through on this forsaken planet!" 

With those words, every demon raised their weapons in the air and shouted loudly. 

"Are you afraid?!" he shouted. 

And they replied with their own roars. 

"ARE YOU AFRAID?!"

The roars became thunderous. 

"WE WILL NOT LET LORD KONG ZHI'S SACRIFICE GO IN VAIN! DEATH AWAITS THOSE WHO FAIL! NOW MARCH WITH ME! TO THE ENDS OF THIS LAND! UNTIL OUR LAST BREATH!" 

He turned to face the fortress and marched forward. Everyone else continued to wave their weapons in the air following him. They were ready to fight. Their hearts raced and their blood was surging. Everyone eyed the fortress with a furious energy. 

They were united and they were going to take down this fortress whether it was meant their death or not. 

On the other side, the commotion had long brought their attention. All six commanders stood at the gate wall, staring down this army. Commander Bi, Du Xiu, Nie Xia, Yu Zhen, Zi Jing, and Gao Ri, all of them looked at this oncoming force. 

They had heard the speech that Shi Hou made and it was good. Even their blood began to rush. All of them couldn't help but curl their hands into fists. 

And then Zi Jing turned around to descend the walls. 

"I'll get the cannons ready." 

Speaking this one line, his figure slowly vanished as the remaining commanders looked out.. They turned their attention to the mountain, staring at the empty night sky that used to be the source of power for the Hundun Clan.