Pride in Oneself
Pride in Oneself
"Thank you for helping me, Grand Elder. I will surely repay you for this", she said.
However, Grand Elder Huang said nothing more. She looked up to find that he had left, perhaps letting her do as she pleased. The young woman turned around but saw that she was the only one there.
Then her eyes landed on the door.
"Alright, time to rush back to the Beast Continent. Hopefully, Xiao Yin and Hei Yue managed to get the message to Elder Shen. I wouldn't want them in harm's way."
She approached the doors and opened them, leaving for the Ascetic.
Elder Hua and Elder Xiang were there, waiting by the doors. Once they saw her come out, they quickly walked up to her.
"Ming Yue, how are you? Do you feel alright? Any problems?"
The Medicinal Elder was the first to come to her, quickly examining the young woman and making sure that there were no issues. Ming Yue smiled and shook her head.
"No, I feel fine. I wasn't able to break into the Heaven Realm but with this much power, I'm confident about taking on the Ascetic", she told her.
Elder Hua looked at Ming Yue in her eyes, she grabbed the young woman's shoulders and squeezed just a bit tightly.
"Are you sure? Don't you need time to rest? After all of that, you can't be completely fine. Please rest, at least for a little bit."
There was a look of deep concern on the elder's face. As confident as Ming Yue seemed, Elder Hua that such a large jump in cultivation levels would need time to adjust and refine.
"At least let us come with you", she said to her.
The young woman was slightly taken aback by the request but ultimately shook her head.
"This is a problem that I started myself, it is only right that I deal with it", she answered the elder.
It was then that Elder Xiang stepped forward. With his one arm, he rested his hand on her shoulder while looking at Ming Yue. The Sword Elder sighed.
"You're as stubborn as ever, trying to take on such difficult tasks", he said.
Letting go of her shoulder, he then grabbed his sword which was hanging by his waist. Elder Xiang turned around and started walking off before looking over his shoulder at her, beckoning her to follow him.
"Come on, let's go deal with the Ascetic."
Ming Yue just looked at him.
"What? What are you doing?" she asked, "There's no need to do this."
Looking at her and then at him, Elder Hua joined up with Elder Xiang. Her face was full of determination as she looked at the young woman.
"There's no need for you to do this on your own. Me, Elder Xiang, and Elder Shen have watched your growth. You may not have been here for that long but a student is still a student and as your teachers, we are not going to sit back and watch you do this alone."
Elder Hua's words were met with silence as Ming Yue was conflicted.
She was used to being on her own after all, mainly relying on Xiao Yin and Hei Yue. While she's asked for help before, it was always for things like gathering information and the like.
When it came to fighting, Ming Yue practically never asked for help.
The young cultivator knew that there was no problem, asking for help there but that was the one thing she was confident in, battle. She had her pride in that and to ask for help made her feel incompetent. If that weren't enough, she had already received plenty of help for creating the pill.
"I... I can't. You've done so much for me and I can't just keep asking for more."
She was conflicted over this but Elder Xiang promptly responded.
"You may think that but in reality, you've done so much for yourself and for us. Just your feats in the Demon Continent are enough so don't be stubborn about this. Besides, it doesn't matter what you say, we will go regardless. Elder Shen and Hongyu are there too. Do it for them", he told her.
Their eyes locked together as he stared at her. She saw his expression, unwavering but just a tad soft. He was concerned, he cared about her.
And so, she lowered her head.
"I... Please help me."
The two elders smiled before lifting her head up.
"Of course, we'll help you."
The three of them stepped out of Heaven's Gate, where they saw a group of ten individuals waiting for them outside.
"What's this? One of the Skyguard Squads?" Elder Xiang asked.
An eleventh figure then appeared before them, the Disciplinary Elder, Elder Kan.
Rather than the white and blue robes that she usually wears, Elder Kan had on silvery armor and carried a short club on her waist. She rarely made an appearance, only doing so when dire situations arose such as the fight against Dai Mian.
Wearing a monocle on one eye, she'd a stern expression when looking at the three.
"The Grand Elder has given permission to form a group tasked with bringing Elder Shen away from the Beast Continent. We've also been instructed to restrain any obstacles that are in the way", she informed them.
Elder Xiang and Elder Hua looked at each other before looking behind at Ming Yue.
"In any case, we're going to head off first."
The squad left immediately after, flying out of the city.
"See. even the Grand Elder is offering help to you, now let's go. With their help, defeating the Ascetic shouldn't be too difficult."
After saying them, Elder Xiang flew after them with Elder Hua and Ming Yue following him. Her speed suddenly burst forward, outpacing the other two elders who moved to catch up with her. The difference between her previous level to her current cultivation was apparent.
Even if she were to use Pale Moon, the vast ocean of energy within her would barely decrease.
"I just hope that nothing bad has happened", she thought, "But if what Elder Kan said was right, Elder Shen and Hongyu weren't able to get escape yet. But as long as the Ascetic doesn't find them, it should be alright for now."
"We should hurry", Ming Yue muttered.
It was unfortunate that what she hoped to avoid had already happened.
Within the Zodiac's Manor, Elder Shen and Hongyu were by the door while Xiao Yin and the other three beasts, stood in front of them. Even the Twin-Tailed Mao, Liang Wei, pushed himself between them and the Ascetic, hissing at the man.
The Ascetic hImself hovered above the floor in the middle of the corridor. His expression was the same as ever, plain and emotionless.
And behind him were members of the Zodiacs, Lao Yang, Zhu Xie and the others. Both Ruishi Lei and Ao Qin had already brought their weapons out but neither of them made a move just yet.
It was a standoff of sorts and the only one who didn't seem bothered by all of this was the Ascetic, himself.
He only stared at Elder Shen and Hongyu, looking at them with interest.
"Hmm, that girl... her body is quite unusual."
Sensing his look, Hongyu immediately hid behind Elder Shen, looking at the Ascetic in fear.
"If you want to find Ming Yue, she's not here. In fact, you won't be able to find her", said the Elder.
"Why would I need to search for her?" the Ascetic replied, "The only thing that needs to be done is wait here. I'm sure that she'll come back for you."