Yoma Ma stood in the center of an ice field. Spikes of frozen water, up to 30 stories high, surrounded the place where he fought the shield of the Pythian Village. The twilight right after the sunset, when the first stars appeared and reflected in the ice, made it look almost ethereal. The barrier was sturdier than he expected, but it finally shattered.

Seeing the carnage inside, doubts had started forming in his mind. It was true, that the Sect Alliance wanted revenge, but maybe they had listened a little too closely...too greedily to the foreigners and their promises. Just what kind of trap had they been led into...

No matter what, now he had to move to save the situation. He couldn't let the sacrifices be for naught. he would get rid of all obstacles and reassemble to alliance members before plundering the village and turning to Little Gamma.

Determined to end everything, Yoma Ma stepped over the border where the barrier had been, but he halted. Cultivators always train their senses and spirit. Going through much meditation and many life-or-death situations gave them something akin to a sixth sense.

It was a hunch that made him look to the far mountains. A hunch he had moments before the unnatural cry echoes across Little Gamma. This was not the roar of a beast, but the scream of the mountains.

In the far distance, he saw the row of mountains surrounding Little Gamma. The peaks in the distance jolted and jumped up one by one, erupting in cascades of snow and the cries of boulders shattering and breaking apart. it was a sound that made even his 330-year-old heart shudder. The scene was almost reminiscent of a bow wave, like that of a big fish swimming close to the surface.

Gritting his teeth, Yoma Ma tightened the grip on his weapon. before his weary eyes, the mountains lifted their head! One of the smaller peaks between the foothills rose to the sky, atop a giant head. The sect master took a moment to recognize what he was witnessing.

It was hard to make out in the early night, but the breaking mountains and splintering boulder rising to the sky took the distinctive shape of a snake. A giant serpent.... a world serpent? A giant snake... a shocking thought came to his mind. Was this Python? The true Python? He cursed inwardly.

A foreign voice confirmed his worries in his head.

As much as he mocked the worm he fought earlier for being called a guardian beast, he now cursed that this was just too much. This was on the level of a divine beast. Nobody told him about this! At this rate, he would have to risk his life to fight it...

Looking at the hopeless battlefield behind him and the more than dangerous opponent before him, Yoma Ma made a decision.

...

--- Moments before the Barrier fell---

+20% to all stats of your autonomous creations. + 15% to all your Attributes>

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A big weight lifted from his heart when he heard the massive notification, while the other were discussing the overheating of the shield generators. He knew that Python sent a cheap clone to fight an immortal, but he didn't know why.

Now, he felt like he understood. Python was at the cusp of ascension and needed time, but now she finally ascended to godhood! The serpent was the third creation of his that ascended to a legendary status and the first to become a god.

The main objective of the Pythian Games was achieved before she had the chance for a showdown. He had a hard time believing how relieved he was that things had worked out. The blacksmith didn't mind the “low-ranking” prefix. With the 300% boost in the vicinity of Little Gamma, he doubted the Sect master of the Silk River Sect would stand a chance.

“What do you mean? How will it be okay?” Jane's slightly upset voice came over the comm link.

“Make sure to have the golem eyes observe Yoma Ma. Python is ready. “

...

The stadium had fallen silent. The chat had fallen silent. The world had fallen silent. The audience across the Pathworks gaped in shock at the events currently unfolding on Urth. Legends and gods had revealed their existence in the relatively new world.

“I-Is that really Python?” some people asked.

“Fuck, that thing is the size of a mountain...” Others wondered about the incredulous size, which was hard for them to grasp. The shocked and unbelieving silence broke as waves of cheers filled the stadium and the chat was filled with emojis. The reappearance of Python meant they didn't have to die!

“Hey, isn't that guy running?” “ What is Yoma Ma doing?” various voices commented on the scene shared on the big screen. At the sight of the giant snake, the immortal turned tail and charged into the city.

The first thought was that he wanted to use the time until Python reached the Pythian Village to kill as many enemies as he could, however, he simply passed by the fighter on the streets, not interfering with either side.

“Could it be... is he trying to flee?” some cultivators could be heard asking such questions, realizing that Yoma Ma was running straight in the direction of the massive barge he originally came on.

“ha! Look at him running!”

“Yoma Ma? More like Yo Mama!”

“Look at him running to Hisma Ma, with his diaper full to the brim!”

“The moment Big Momma appears, Yo Mama is running for his life!”

“ngl, I also got the shits when the mountains suddenly moved!”

Chat was overflowing with cheers and jeering at Yoma Ma who was sprinting across the Pythian village. The cultivator was moving at an incredible speed, so fast even the golem eyes couldn't keep up. Instead of an eye following him, the scene would always cut to the POV of golem eyes that were next to or along his path.

At the same time, the massive snake was slowly emerging from the depths of the mountain range. In the dark, it looked like a huge shadow had risen, to swallow the stars in the sky, as Python threw her shadow on the Pythian Village.

If this went on, Yoma Ma would be able to get atop his ship and fly away! The people were dismayed. Partially, because the culprit of this mayhem was about to get away, but also because that meant they lost the chance to see a fight between legends!

How often did one get such a chance? Legends were treated like secret weapons. Their deployment was top secret and their fights that would usually happen on war-torn border worlds seldom left witnesses. It was an incredible chance that was about to vanish.

Seth was glad this was their reaction, although it seemed inappropriate for the level of danger everyone was in. Minas Mar had successfully instilled confidence into the audience. They were confident in their safety measures, this was why they had the leeway to act relaxed.

Though Seth's opinion slightly differed. He didn't want a fight between legends within the city. He still remembered the outcome of the fight between Al'Zalsa and a Quasi-Immortal from the Voracious Cloud Continent. The mountain peaks surrounding Delta had become flying islands...

Yoma Ma leaped in the air and landed on the deck of the big barge. Many of the disciples of the sect were currently in battle, so he stepped to the helm himself, to steer the vessel. Was he actually planning to leave the people of his sect behind?!

The Sect Leader of the Silk River sect quickly started his flagship and turned it around, aiming the dragon-faced bow south, the direction where they came from. Shocked, the audience and the alliance members watched the barge shoot into the distance at top speed.

Several beams from Epsilon's Fleet hit it as it escaped, but couldn't penetrate the shield. The barge was flying so fast that it left golem eyes following it behind, forcing the editor to cut to other golem eyes across the city, to record it.

When Yoma Ma grossed the city borders, aiming for the southern mountains, everything seemed over. The audience already gave up their hope to see a legendary battle, when a giant thorn shot up from the ground.

The spike of stone easily tore through the defensive formations of the ship and penetrated the bow all the way to the deck. The flying vessel wasn't just stopped in its tracks, but its own momentum ripped the giant mother ship of the Sect Alliance apart.

The alliance was forced to witness their core piece turn into a cloud of exotic wood, golden embellishment, and smithereens. Moments after hitting the rock spire, something inside the ship exploded in a massive fireball, ripping apart the spire and what was left of the ship.

Somewhere, somehow, a burning wheel was rolling out from the cloud of destruction just outside the city boundary.

The message was clear: Nobody was leaving today.