Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

The constant thunder beat the moutain like drums. The storm only grew more chaotic as the silence between these two sides continued.

"A deranged animal..." 

Dai Mian repeated these words slowly, taking his time with each one. 

"If that is the case, so be it. Come, I doubt you are here to just stand!"

He ripped off his cloak, revealing what was underneath, a jet black hanfu wrapped with a white sash. It was a simple design but one that fit him well. 

As he did this, the energy he put out strengthened and turned into a black color. But it was more than that, it resembled darkness, the kind that you find from looking into the depths of an endless pit. Wisps of crimson flowed from this dark energy. The feeling of death and despair seeped into the Grand Elder\'s domain, corroding and corrupting. 

"Let\'s see just how powerful you\'ve become, Huang Bo."

Dai Mian leaped forward and threw a palm forward. From it, a beam of that darkness pierced the air, aiming for the Grand Elder\'s heart but such a thing would not happen. 

The energy that he exerted transformed, turning pitch black as shining specks of light covered it. It was beautiful, like glittering stars in the night sky. It gave off a feeling to vastness and eminence. 

The Grand Elder placed his hand forward, it began to glow before another beam of light shot forth. 

Both beams clashed in the air, ending up in a loud explosion that shook the ground. 

He jumped up and moved to face his former teacher. Their eyes locked, both of them prepared to kill one another. Their long history has teacher and student was nothing but air to them. 

Then the battle began. 

The masked army of Dai Mian ran forward with their swords drawn. Like a wave they crashed into the other side, enveloping them with sheer numbers. There were hundreds facing against nineteen individuals, but these were no ordinary cultivators. 

"HAAAH!"

In a collective shout, their auras shot up, joining together into a mssive shockwave to blew back this inital assault. These were Sky Realm Experts, masters in their own right, numbers were only paltry tricks in their eyes. 

Power lashed out as each of them attacked, knocking back these masked disciples. 

Numerous weapons made their appearances from swords to claws to warhammers and so much more. Their opponents were like bugs to them, unable to take even a strike before being knocked back. But even as their bodies flew back, crashing into the stones, each and every one of them stood back up and rushed forward. 

Their bones had definitely shattered and their organs ruptured and bleeding heavily. Some had their limbs twisted or ripped off only to be placed back, the joints reconnecting through a festering black sludge. 

They might be bugs to these Sky Realm Experts but these bugs were tenacious. 

"Damn it! They should be dead by now!"

"How are they still alive? What sorcery has been done to them?"

"This is not ordinary. Their bodies must have been modified in some way."

It did not take time to realize what was happening. These disciples returned to battle no matter the condition they ended up in before. It was just like Zuo Er.

"Everyone, we must be careful. All of their attacks contain Death Energy!"

Elder Xiang shouted out loud as he stabbed his sword into one fo the masked disciple\'s chest. Whipping his sword, he threw the body back, sending it into the ranks of the other disciples. Having a second to rest, he looked outwards at the Grand Elder and Dai Mian, their battle took place in the storm. Their figures stood on opposite sides, battling it out with a beams of black energy.

"Grand Elder, I hope you know what you are doing."

In the skies, the two Heaven Realm fighters soared through the air, attacking each other. The phenomena they created outshone the thunderous storm around them.

One resembled a crimson darkness, a well of eternal depth, filled with blood. The other was a starlit night, a vast ocean of beauty and twinkling light. 

These two sides clashed with each other, shockwaves exploded at every meeting of their energy. 

"I see that you\'ve gotten much better at controlling your energy. Not to mention, your True Dao seems a bit different compared to before", said Dai Mian, "Still, there must be more than just this in the time we haven\'t seen each other. Something new like this, Deathly Void Disk."*

He placed his hands together, gathering energy into a crimson black disk that he threw out. It cut through the air, leaving behind a path of darkness. The edge was sharp, extremely sharp and it spun forward, narrowly missing the Grand Elder. But it continued on its way, piercing several mountains and slicing their bodies in half. However, they did not tumble down, crash or even make a noise. Instead, these sliced off mountains slowly disintegrated into dust, transformed into ashes. This was a show of force and a feat that all others would find difficult to replicate.

"Do you see that?! That is the extent of my power, the power needed to overcome even a calamity itself! Several hundred years and I\'ve furthered my research of the Death Dao to its current state. Do you see the battle below us? Those masked disciples are the fruit of my study. To what extent can the human body endure? To what extent could it be altered? How many times do you think they need to fall before they die?"

He pointed at them, smiling at the Grand Elder. 

"They are my army, my Immortal Army. And once the final step is done, the next calamity can be overcome. You could\'ve joined me, in fact, you still can."

The Grand Elder glanced at them, watching as they fell and rose up again and again. They were all mindless puppets, attacking again and again without hesitation. 

"This is what you\'ve been planning? This is how you\'ve spent your time? Committing sin after sin, going against the natural way of the world? Indeed, the coming calamity would arrive soon but this...this is not the path."

He placed his hands together, gathering his own energy before pulling them away. From his palms, the star-like energy extended before forming a lance that he held in his hand. 

Gripping it in one hand, he spun it before hurling the spear at Dai Mian. The Tao Feng\'s Sect Leader did not dodge and stood forward, readying to disperse this paltry attack. 

"Eternal Darkness, Flash of Life."

The spear suddenly exploded forward, the aura expanded, nearly covering the stormy sky in darkness. The sight of it made one feel small, insignificant, despair. It was as if death was the only path.

Like teacher like student, just as Dai Mian cultivated the Death Dao, so did the Grand Elder. However their paths, their True Dao\'s differed and such distinction showed in their attacks. 

In this overflowing darkness, where death has surrounded Dai Mian, a single dot of light flickered before a beacon of light shot forward. Dai Mian only smiled, unfazed by this sight as he placed his palm forward. A ray of Death Energy exploded from it as it took on this beacon, only to be met at a standstill. 

But the Grand Elder wasn\'t going to stand by and watch. 

"A Thousand Lights, Heartfelt Departure."

Suddenly, a thousand more beacons shot out and Dai Mian\'s smile turned into a grim expression. He crossed his arms, forming a shield to defend as these rays of light came down upon him. In this onslaught, Dai Mian pushed forward, shooting a massive blast of Death Energy that broke the vast darkness of the Grand Elder\'s attack. 

Fighting in the skies, their figures was obscured by the sheer power and gravity of their attacks. Darkness covered the churning clouds above, the storms could not find a way in. It was as if the Merciless Storm Peak was in their own domain, their own world. 

This was a battle between Heaven Realm Cultivators: mountains destroyed, storms stifled, and worlds created. 

As this battle raged on, the underground team finally reached the base of the Tao Feng\'s lowest level.