The moment the Metal Work Sect's territory was encroached upon, they took it as a declaration of war, and that it was. There were only so many resources to go around, how could they just casually allow anyone to appear so close? In fact, the sudden manifestation of the Radiant Star Sect actually caused a lot of those resources to be buried beneath a pile of rubble.
Their Metal Work Sect followed both the path of blacksmithing and Body Realm cultivation. They placed a lot of importance on the earth and the ore veins hidden within, and just now, the Radiant Star Sect had landed on, precisely, one of their veins.
The worst part was that the appearance of the Sect had definitely slaughtered everyone that had been working the mine. This included disciples working for merits. With their manifestation, the Radiant Star Sect had already slaughtered their people. How could this be tolerated?
The Patriarch of the Metal Work, Patriarch Arnoldus, immediately shot into the skies, his fury like a towering tempest as his bronzed chest rippled. With every infuriated breath he took, sparks of fire shot into the surroundings.
The fact that the moment they stepped into the Second Heaven they found someone who could fly made the hearts of the Radiant Star Sect disciples tremble. This meant that this man was most definitely a False Sky God.
Many of the Radiant Star Sect disciples were still prostrated on the ground, and even those that finally managed to stand felt as though their bodies were incredibly heavy as though the gravity they were experiencing had doubled.
The suppression of the Second Heaven was not a joke and couldn't be casually ignored by those with poor talent. The pressure was good for those who had more potential to squeeze out, but for those that didn't it was like a death sentence.
"GOOD! GOOD! You can all die!"
With an infuriated bellow, Patriarch Arnoldus flipped a palm and manifested a hammer that immediately expanded to a size that looked as though it could blot out the skies.
Ryu looked up with a calm expression on his face, but just the sudden rush of wind from the hammer rising into the air was enough for him to nearly be thrown off his feet, and that was despite the fact there were dozens of kilometers separating himself and the Patriarch.
Just when Patriarch Arnoldus was about to swing down, a light cough resounded, dispersing the wild winds as Grand Elder Samson appeared in the skies.
Arnoldus' expression flickered beneath his rage. A False Sky God? Wasn't the Radiant Star Sect a True One Star Sect? How did they suddenly have a False Sky God now? And even if they had one, shouldn't it be that woman he had listened to that report about? Did that mean that this Sect actually had two False Sky Gods?!
As shocked as Arnoldus was, the disciples of the Radiant Star Sect were even more shocked. Clearly, they hadn't known that they had a False Sky God either, but their hearts bloomed with pride and expectation a moment later… Though, how long this would last was completely unknown.
Samson chuckled lightly. "Listen, our Sect is already here and it can't be casually moved again, how about we just coexist?"
When Arnoldus heard this his temper flared up again. "Do you think that's possible?! Come die!"
Arnoldus swung his raised hammer down.
After his initial shock, he quickly recovered. Why would he give a single care about a False Sky God of the First Heaven?! Such trash could be dispatched by him as easily as a Fragmented Sky God of the Second Heaven. How could they be worthy of negotiating with him?!
Samson lightly coughed again before sighing. Things really couldn't end peacefully, huh?
It seemed that Samson's personality was quite a bit like Old Wan's. He could only blame their bad luck in landing so near to another Sect's territory.
A radiant starlight exuded from Samson's body, causing his silver robes to flutter.
Samson sighed again. "Plucking Stars."
His forefinger and thumb stretched out, pinching at the air.
BANG!
At that moment, an enormous hand that looked as though it contained the galaxies of the universe manifested in the blink of an eye. In one moment, the skies had nothing but a mighty hammer, but in the next, a thumb and finger had stopped it in its tracks.
With a slight pinch, the hammer cracked and Arnoldus' expression wildly changed as he rapidly pulled back.
Samson coughed lightly before sighing. It almost looked like he was embarrassed that he put Arnoldus in such a weird situation.
"How about this, just let the juniors fight it out, hm? The loser of this scuffle will just abandon the surroundings."
Arnoldus' expression was solemn as he looked down. When he swept a gaze over the Sect and saw just how many youths were still prostrated on the ground, a slight look of disdain flashed in his eyes. When he looked toward the strongest disciples, his derision only became more prominent.
Plus, the main issue here was the fact that this small Sect actually had at least two False Sky Gods, the same number they had. The woman still hadn't appeared yet, but from what he heard, she was even more worthy of fear.
"Fine. But if you dare to have those above the World Sea Realm participate, I will make certain that I stake my life to slaughter your disciples to the last man!"
Arnoldus' voice boom. "Disciples of my Metal Work Sect! Show them your Ire!"
A mighty roar shot into the skies. If there was one thing the Metal Work Sect was known for outside of their blacksmithing, it was their hot bloodedness. Considering the kind of masochistic Body Realm techniques they practiced, it was no surprise that they were all a group of madmen.
A war? That was exactly the kind of thing they loved the most. They didn't seem oppressed by their Patriarch's obvious loss in the recent exchange either.
Hearing these roars, the disciples of the Radiant Star Sect who were still prostrated on the ground, and even those that had managed to rise, wore solemn expressions.
Samson turned back to the Core and Inheritor Disciples, inwardly shaking his head. They were far too weak. Old Wan had his reasons for taking this approach, but Aika had flipped the table.
"You break out of your cocoons." Samson said lightly before vanishing.
The expressions of the disciples sank, some of the smarter ones understanding that their elders had no intention of shielding them.
The Metal Work Disciples had already charged forward, their Working and Outer Disciples being the first in line since they were nearer the base of the mountain to begin with.
At that moment, a laugh shook the skies and a blaze of lightning arched through the air.
BANG!
Ryu appeared at the base of the Radiant Star Sect in an instant.
His hands flared outward, causing his great swordstaffs to shoot from his back and into his hands.
With a flicker, he covered a 10 kilometer distance in an instant, circulating [Whispering Petals] to Complete Success.
His great swordstaffs surged, leaving a trail of crimson in their wake as they cut down every tree in the surrounding 100 meters with a single movement.
Blood flew through the air.