Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Chapter 35 - Destroying The Stronghold

Ming Yue spun around immediately attacking and killed the approaching marauder.

"Take everyone and leave!" she ran out and started attacking the nearest patrols, leaving the prison house.

Minutes later a bell rang from one of the towers, "We're under attack!" yelled one of the guards.

Yu Fengtian did not spare anytime and tried to get everyone in the prison to leave.

"Forget about us," some of them said, "We can no longer move like we used to. We are barely able to walk much less run. We can only stall for time, get the young ones and go."

They held sticks and stones in their hands and positioned themselves at the back like cannon fodder. Yu Fengtian lead them towards the nearest gate, hoping that they could escape without any issues.

At this time, the Darksun Marauders were on high alert. Every one of them rushed out of their homes armed with swords and spears.

"Who is this attacker of ours?" a voiced growled out, a man walked out, carrying a saber in his hands. He was plump man dressed in lavish clothes but that did not take away the dangerous aura that he emitted. His face was rough, tanned by the sun and scarred from numerous fights. It did not match the his body nor his clothes. This was Wei Lian, the leader of the Darksun Marauders. Despite his large size, he was known for his swift speed and his positions as leader of the marauders.

"Boss!" men greeted him as he strolled through, obviously he was not very bothered by this disturbance.

One of the men came up to him,"It seems to be young girl, she has released the prisoners as well."

"Hmm, what about that girl that I gave orders to watch?" he questioned.

The man paused before finally answering, "She has also been released...and her weapon has been taken too."

"Idiots! we have been given a job to keep her from entering the capital. Our employers have already promised us enough money to live the rest of our lives in comfort. If we fail to take her back, I will personally castrate everyone responsible. Now find her and stop that other girl, they're only little children," he barked orders before moving out as well.

In the meantime, Ming Yue wrecked havoc wherever she went. She kept her watch on the prisoner group using Xiao Yin, who flew above their location. She attacked every enemy she saw, disposing them in seconds. For her, this was an opportunity to try out what she has learned from those manuals she read from. It wouldn't be impossible to say that she could already change the direction of her sword mid-strike. Although it wasn't perfect, it was enough for these marauders. Most of them were cultivators at the human realm, some were at the 4th or 5th level similar to her. These were skilled men who have taken part in many missions but compared to Ming Yue, their power was paltry.

Her swordsmanship focused on killing moves, taking as many lives as quickly as possible. Her techniques were polished through continuous battle from defending Luan City to constantly training in the Sword Domain. Her greatest aspect was her offensive power. Not to mention, she focuses on the elements of wind and lightning which enhances her speed and power. She held nothing back in this fight. Even though she acted as a decoy for Yu Fengtian and the escapees, she fully intended on destroying this place.

She moved swiftly, cutting down men and setting fire to the buildings. She paid no mind to the flames but the marauders cared deeply. Where did this girl come from and why would she rescue the prisoners? First they had to worry about her but now they had to stop the fires from running rampant. There was too much happening at once and they had just woken up. She was just too fast, running nonstop and decimating everything in her path.

Xiao Yin screeched near the gates where the prisoners were, gaining the attention of Ming Yue.

"They must be in trouble!" she thought.

She changed her directions and ran towards where her pet was. Minutes after she arrived to their side, she saw Yu Fengtian and some of the escapees struggling to open the gate. At the same time, the older ones defended them, attempting to fight off some of the marauders. However, they could not last long, unable to contend with their weak bodies.

"Push harder! We have to escape while we can!" Yu Fengtian screamed out, pushing the gate with as much power as he could muster.

"Hah, there is no way for you to open the gate. It takes ten men to push and all of you are too weak to even make it budge!" one of the marauder laughed at their hopeless attempt.

"Once we deal with you, we'll take care of that other girl," he said.

A shadow dashed passed them striking the gate in a flash. The sound of a clean strike could be heard as the gates were suddenly cut down as if it was paper. It fell to the ground with a loud bang as Ming Yue landed in front of it.

"Go through now, I'll hold the gate. Xiao Yin will lead you to a safer area," Yu Fengtian heard Ming Yue's voice, sparing no time to stand in awe of what had just occurred.

"Let's go now! Don't waste this opportunity!" he yelled, leading the group out of the encampment and into the forest, following the little owl.

Ming Yue stood at the gates giving precious minutes for them to escape. She pointed her blade to the ground beckoning anyone of these marauders to come. Her small figure did not seem to fit the tall sword that she wielded. It might have looked a bit odd or awkward, but these men looked at her with fear. The gate might have been made of wood but it was extremely thick. To cut it down in one strike proved her strength. Anyone here would be hard-pressed to attempt the same feat. They circled her, unable to step forward and afraid of losing their lives.

"I'll take care of her, the rest of you go after them. Don't forget to keep that girl alive," The boss of the marauders, Wei Lian, appeared carrying his saber.

"Ye Feng, Du Tuan, stay here and help me capture her. We will punish her for this tonight," he spoke as two men stayed back while the rest gave chase.

However, Ming Yue did not yet let them through attacking them as they tried to get passed her. The three men didn't let her do as she pleased. The two men were armed with a meteor hammer* and a spiked shield. The man on the right flung one end of the meteor hammer while the other charged forth. As for Wei Lian, he stood back watching them as if she was already doomed to be captured. Obviously, he didn't think that girl would win against his lieutenants and was instead imagining her warming his bed. His face turned even more twisted as he remembered the one leading that group, Yu Fengtian. It was definitely a man, but he looked too feminine and was too good to pass up.

"It wouldn't be too bad to have him too," he thought, quietly laughing.

He looked back at the fight between the three and felt shocked. The girl was actually fighting his lieutenants move for move. She was in no way at a disadvantage despite fighting against two opponents. Ye Feng stood behind Du Tuan and threw the meteor hammer. He moved non-stop flinging one of the heads from every angle possible, while Du Tuan used his spiked shield to obstruct her view and stop her from attacking Ye Feng. This duo was a potent combination who have killed their fair share of fighters. But Ming Yue was not suppressed by their attacks, deflecting all of their attacks and striking back.

Neither of them were able to pressure the other enough. Ming Yue fought intensely, attacking at every minuscule opening. Slowly but surely, she was winning this fight but this was too slow. She needed to run after the group and protect them but she could not break away. She thought of some solution to end the fight quickly.

Without warning, she backed off immediately, barely dodging Wei Lian's attack.. Now the balance had tipped and Ming Yue had to battle three fighters at once.