Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

"The White Sword's Remains?" Ming Yue repeated, "What happened?"

Just as Niu Hong opened his mouth, She Xing answered for him. 

"I'll tell you. We entered a place we shouldn't have. The fact that we survived and even gained from that expedition was nothing short of a miracle, even multiple miracles. Probably survived on Qiang Rong's dumb luck."

"Heh, dumb luck! I think after that experience all my luck has vanished."

Qiang Rong chuckled. 

"What happened in those ruins? What kind of ruins were they?" Ming Yue asked. 

Niu Hong glanced at the others before continuing. 

"At the time those ruins were recently discovered. With how vast the Beast Continent is and how dangerous the Savage Lands are, it's not difficult to find ruins but it is difficult returning and reporting back. And the White Sword's Remains was the latest one to be found."

"Oh yeah, I remember when the reporting team came back. The news they gave was tremendous", said Qiang Rong. 

"Indeed, the White Sword Ruins was named such for there was a single white sword stabbed into the ground. Something that no one could pull out, not even those from the Reclamation couldn't pull it out. No matter how many tried even if twenty people worked together, that white sword wouldn't budge. Like many others, we decided to try it out as well." 

Ming Yue slightly leaned forward. 

"And? One of you managed to pull it out?" she asked. 

Niu Hong could only shake his head. 

"Hah, if only that happened. No, none of us could pull it out. Even when we all tried together, that white sword wouldn't budge even the slightest."

"When what happened?" 

"Well, the White Sword Ruins were quite far from where we were based at so we decided to look around for a bit. And we found nothing which led to She Xing losing her temper, when that happened..."

There was a slight pause as if the leader of the Four Claws was too embarrassed to reveal what happened next. Even She Xing seemed unwilling to answer. 

"She stuck the blade itself with her swords."

Surprisingly, it was Yu Tu who said it. Her quiet voice was the loudest in this silence and now that she started, she didn't stop from there. 

"When She Xing hit the sword, there was a loud ringing that ended up activating something. The sword stayed there but an entrance had made itself known. In fact, an entire fortress rose up from the ground, breaking through the dirt", she said. 

Niu Hong then sighed. 

"Nothing short of luck in finding that but entering it was a completely different experience, A new level of danger that we were not expecting to encounter."

He then looked at her and held up one finger. 

"One room, that was all that we searched before running for our lives."

"What did you obtain from there?"

Ming Yue was beyond curious.

What was it that they found in that one room?

"We found a sword. One that was similar to the blade stuck on the ground but this one was incredibly light and thin. it seemed so fragile but when the blacksmiths tested it, that sword was able to endure even the greatest pressure. No matter what they did, that blade didn't break, it didn't even crack or chip."

Niu Hong gestured with his hands, describing this mysterious sword to the young cultivator. After that, he looked at her with fearful eyes as he retold what would come next. 

"It was kept in a jade box, clean and pristine. All we did was walk to it and touch it, not even to open it. It was just a gentle tao but the box trembled and the sword howled just like yours did. When that happened, that was when every one of us knew to run."

Qiang Rong then sighed as he circled the dirt with his finger. 

"Ahh, I truly thought we would die there. Niu Hong grabbed the box and we ran out. There were swords coming out of the wall, not one or two or a few but hundreds of them. And they all came together, forming this great dragon that chased us wherever we went. Even after escaping those ruins and heading above ground, it flew out and came for our lives."

Yu Tu suddenly pulled her ears down in fear. 

"The sounds it made... my ears nearly bled", she muttered before Niu Hong followed up. 

"Yeah, it was an experience I don't think will ever be trumped. The screeching of blades as they crashed through the walls, that terrifying roar. Imagine hundreds of swords howling at once, echoing as this unstoppable monstrosity follows you, ready to shred your body."

And then, She Xing spoke. 

"Although our leader is describing it well, actually being chased by that thing was a nightmare. I would say that you have to experience to understand the horror of that place but I wouldn't want anyone to enter it."

"I see." 

Ming Yue looked down before narrowing her brows. 

"Then how did you escape? If it followed you out of the ruins, how did you stop it?" she asked. 

The Four Claws each took a glance at each other before Niu Hong sighed and answered. 

"It was pure dumb luck. In truth, that thing would've chased us to the ends of the earth. With all the noise it made, those beasts of the Savage Lands were awakened and went to challenge it but they all ended up with the same fate, shredded into flesh and blood. Wherever we went was where the river of blood continued. Worse than that, it was faster than us and it would catch up to us in no time."

He paused for a moment before speaking. 

"So I opened the box and took the sword out. When that happened, the dragon turned even more ferocious and flew even faster, tearing apart anything and everything in its way. I don't know why I did this but I turned and charged at it while swinging the sword. And the moment, the blade met that dragon it was as if time stopped for the dragon was frozen in place. But I don't know what happened next, we just ran without stopping. We returned with the sword and gave it to blacksmiths."

"Then the dragon? Did you ever go back to check?" she asked. 

They shook their heads before Qiang Rong answered. 

"No, none of us dared to return. But after making our report, multiple other groups went to investigate and strangely, the dragon disappeared. But the destruction it left was still present and some have attempted to enter those ruins. However, even though it opened for us, it didn't open for them."

"Really? How strange." 

Ming Yue's curiosity certainly peaked here, wanting to see the ruins for herself even. She felt as if there might be something for her, perhaps an opportunity to further her swordsmanship. 

"In any case, after that, we became much more famous and so we stuck with each other. That experience certainly made us even closer. It's been about three years since that event if I recall", he said. 

Niu Hong then looked at her, seeing the look in her eyes. 

"If you'd like, we can come back with a detailed map of what we've discovered", he offered. 

"Really?!"

Ming Yue looked at him with some excitement before restraining herself. 

"Yes, It's the least we can do after you've helped us", he said. 

Everyone else agreed with him. There was no doubt that she was a pivotal part of them surviving this expedition. 

After that, they continued to share stories until late into the night.. And in the morning, the Four Claws packed their things and left this place, promising to return soon enough.