Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

She returned that night, skinning the giant wolf and butchering it in front of the house.

"Oh, this is a lot tougher than the other wolf pelts... Then again, it is the pelt of a Savage Beast."

Rather than use a single Zephyr Claw like she usually did, Ming Yue unsheathed Blood Moon to cut the beast apart. 

"Eugh, I can literally feel all of this."

Xue Yue couldn't help but show her disgust at the sensation of slowly cutting flesh apart. It was certainly a gory sight and the feeling of it was not great. 

The pelt joined the pile of several dozens of smaller pelts and deboned meat went into her spatial ring. The bones went in as well along with the entrails. All that was left was this curious little gem, a perfectly round bead that seemed to emanate the same power that the leader of the wolves had. 

"And this is a beast core? How strange..."

Ming Yue held it in her hands and studied it carefully. 

The core was full of power but it was unfortunate that she could not use it. She even tried, sending her own energy into the core only for it to crackle and snap, rejecting her. 

But the cultivator wasn't surprised or disappointed. 

"It was worth a try but to think only beasts and beast people could absorb this energy to grow.", she muttered. 

By the time she was finished with everything, Ming Yue began to cultivate, going into the house and sitting down. Both Xiao Yin and Hei Yue were fast asleep, resting on the bed while she sat on the floor. As her energy continued to cycle through, she was lulled into a state of deep meditation. 

As time continued on and the moon shined above the house, Ming Yue was in a strange state. 

Beads of sweat formed on her head as her face revealed a pained expression. While her clothes weren't drenched in sweat, they were slightly moist. 

Her closed eyes seemed to tremble as she furrowed her brows, breathing heavily. 

She seemed to twitch, twisting and turning as her mind was racing. 

Images seemed to flash by. From the carnage of the war to the fury of the True Idol, it switched between scenes of the bloodied dead to the rivers of lightning that razed the ground. And then the ashen lands that resulted in the destruction, the scenes stopped at this point. It was quiet here, save for the crackling embers. 

"What is this?"

Suddenly, Ming Yue was there. Wide-eyed and in shock, she looked around her and began to walk around. 

"Why am I back here? In this battlefield? What is going on?"

She reached for her sword only to find it missing. She mustered her strength but not even a single wind needle formed. 

"Is this my Mental Force?" she thought to herself.

It was certainly a power that she didn't use actively but it definitely helped in battle, strengthening her mental fortitude. If it wasn't for that, she wouldn't have been able to hold on. But now it seemed that it was on the brink of breaking. 

The ashen land seemed to distort, mixing with another scene. It was a sight she hadn't seen in quite a long time. Rather it was a sight she had only seen once. 

It was her village, her childhood home. But it wasn't at its most beautiful, rather it was her village after it had been burnt down. It was what remained after the bodies were buried and the houses were destroyed. 

Ashes. 

Her eyes wandered about looking at the gray landscape before feeling everything vanish as her eyes snapped open. 

And she found herself back in the little house, surrounded by peace and serenity. Her breath was still a bit heavy as the silence had let her hear the beating of her heart. 

Looking down, Ming Yue saw her clothes and felt her forehead, wiping the cold sweat away. 

As she calmed herself and collected her thoughts, she looked to Blood Moon from which a soft hum came from the blade. 

"Xue Yue, Xue Yue, what's going on with me?" 

She grabbed on and called out to her other self but there was no response. Despite her calling, Xue Yue was in a deep sleep. As for why, it could only be related to what was happening to Ming Yue. 

"What are these visions? Why am I just going back to that war? Why did I end up back there? How do I fix this?"

 Ming Yue couldn't sleep or rest, she was wide awake and spent the night pondering. 

"Did the battle with the True Idol do this to me? No, there is more than that. Why did it go back to my village?" she thought. 

And then the words of Elder Shu, the Forest Keeper echoed in her mind. 

"...you walk a fine line between ripping that veil or letting it blind you." 

With these words, she thought back to it all before releasing a heavy sigh. 

"Maybe I can't just keep trying to suppress the memories but what do I do? Confront it? How? Where do I even begin?"

She was confused and she truly felt lost here.

There was no one she could go to for help, no one to guide her. 

When the sun rose, she felt a wave of lethargy overcome her as she stood up. Her arms felt a bit heavy while she took a deep breath and walked out with Blood Moon. Her mind was still focused on Elder Shu's words. 

"A fine line... is this my trial? Will this be how I reach the Sky Realm?" 

It was a possible answer to this situation. After all, to go from the Earth Realm to the Sky Realm, a trial needed to be completed. And such a thing came in many forms. Whether it was enduring lightning strikes or a heart demon, there was no other path. 

But if this was the right answer, how was Ming Yue going to complete it?

She didn't know, she truly didn't know. Perhaps when she felt confident, Ming Yue would try to find out but for now, she could only venture carefully. 

Washing herself in the stream of water, she put her clothes and equipment back on. Now that they were fully repaired, Ming Yue felt much more confident in crossing into the Savage Lands. But she wasn't going to go very far, protecting the house was the bigger priority. 

"I should at least scout the area, I doubt those wolf heads are going to keep them at bay for long", she muttered.

Pushing her other thoughts to the side, she focused on the task at hand, exploring the Savage Lands.

Tightening her grip on Blood Moon, she said a quick farewell to Xiao Yin and Hei Yue. 

"Watch the house, okay? I'll be back before sunset." 

She gave them a pat on the head and some scratches before leaving, making her way through the clearing and into the forests. By then her aura rose as she activated her armor, speeding up several times over and leaving nothing but a blur in her steps. 

It took some time but in less than an hour, she reached the border, standing by the three wolf heads which laid there largely untouched. Considering only a night had passed, it was still fresh and the blood was still pooled around them. 

The smell had grown stronger as Ming Yue looked at it before looking outwards into the Savage Lands. 

Every now and then, she'd hear a roar or screech echoing out of there. There was a certain pressure emanating from it, thick and dense with power. There was no doubt that there would be even more dangerous beasts within but she was prepared. 

Without wasting another second, she walked forward and entered, disappearing into the tall grass.